Fiery Embrace
by TheJamjam
Summary: Finn had always overcome every challenge that came his way, almost always with little effort. What happens when his next challenge is the shrouded past of Flame Princess; a girl shaped by betrayal and sadness? As secrets arise and dark plans unleash, how far will this bear-capped teenager go to keep her from falling into despair?
1. Memory

**_Author's Notes:_ **_Edited 5/4/13_

Enjoy the chapter, if you continue to read, enjoy the story!

**_Disclaimer:_** As much as I'd love it, I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- _Memory_, Chapter 1 -**

A young boy sat atop a hill, overlooking the plains of the Grasslands. The sun was rising, glowing orange over the horizon. The world seemed to be sparkling around him, pollen from flowers spreading around the atmosphere, reflecting against the glint of the sun, fighting against the shadows for dominance. It was a beautiful morning, but nothing compared to that sparkle in her amber eyes, as if he could see straight through her soul..

The boy's head facing the ground, he uttered two words.

"Flame Princess..."

He raised his head and looked towards the horizon, how much it reminded him of her, her glow, her warmth, how her very presence comforted him when he was at his worst. He couldn't describe her any other way, she was the sun. From yesterday onward all he could think about was her. He hadn't even slept, his emotions swirled up deep inside him and he couldn't help it. He decided on a walk through the Grasslands and ended up wallowing in his own misery atop a hill.

His mind locked in thought, the weight of his chin leaning against his palm, he thought about the events prior to the day.

**~ ... ~**

_A single tear caressed down his cheek and dripped down onto the fires below. He simply lay there, all of creation burning around him, the flames around him reflecting against the night sky._

_"Why can't I... just like a girl?" he sniffed. He was oblivious to everything around him, his emotions raging in his heart. His was so deep into his pit of sadness that he didn't hear the cry of pain from the angry flame princess, or see her approach to him. It was only when he could feel the warmth of her glow that he raised his gaze upward._

_She was so beautiful, so innocent. The way her fiery hair reached for the sky, how her radiant glow complimented her smooth curves. As she curiously reached towards him, it only made her look ever so more innocent. He couldn't imagine how anyone had ever thought she was evil; she was pure, passionate even. The warm palm of her hand touched his face, and sizzled against the tears on his cheek. She reeled back, letting out an "Oh..."_

_The human boy raised himself off the ground, his eyes nervously returning to her gaze. The fire elemental had a different expression on her face, not one of anger or betrayal, but of understanding. __She looked like she had come to a realization. _

_"I understand now.. You're a water elemental..." she spoke softly._

_He let out a confused exclamation. "What?"_

_"You're my opposite, you create water." Trying to explain his tears, she caressed her palms down her cheeks. _

_"What, cry? No, I j-" he exclaimed, embarrassed. Being a Fire Elemental she probably didn't understand the meaning of his tears._

_"Yeah, you cry and cry all the time." she interrupted before he could continue._

_"N-no! I-I don't usually do that." he tried to explain._

_"That's your power!" she insisted, her voice raising a fraction. _

_"No! N-n-n-no-no-no!" he said frantically waving his hands, his cheeks flushing red._

_"Finn, even if we like each other, we're going to hurt each other." she said with sorrow in her voice, her face looking to the ground, her hands curled together against her chest._

_His expression changed, she was right. The slightest touch to her flames would cause her pain, as her touch to his skin would. Out of anyone in the world, the person he didn't want to hurt the most was her. But he was determined, he couldn't just give up. Her sorrowful expression only made him want to change it. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, and tell her everything would be okay._

_"No, we don't have to. I can take it... I... I mean.." his eyes pleaded hers for acceptance. "Can't we just... try?" She stared into his eyes for a few moments, as if she were gazing right through his soul._

**_"You would defy nature for_** **me?"** _the girl asked curiously._

_That one moment, that one question, would forever be engraved into his soul. His emotions surged, it was the question he knew had been waiting for him to answer ever since he gazed upon her beauty. It was a moment that he could not pass up; it was his trial she had laid out for him. No matter how long it took, no matter how many hardships he would have to face, in that one moment he would do anything just so he could stay true to his one answer._

_"Uh... yeah.." he leaned in closer to the blazing girl. "Whatevs.." _

_He felt the heat of her body encase around him, he returned her embrace, holding on tight no matter how much pain it had caused him. It didn't matter. In that one moment, a city blazing around them, the stars sparkling against the night sky, everything was perfect. The atmosphere lighted up around them, she glowed brighter than ever, showing her desire to have him clearly. He didn't want to let go. He finally had a grasp of what love was, and he never wanted to lose it again. His body began to instinctively push away from her, the pain fighting for control. But he only held tighter, his body driven by his emotions. In the end it wasn't him that pushed away, but her. She had realized that she was hurting him._

_As she walked backwards, she examined the burns she had caused him. She then looked once more into his eyes, that sorrowful stare returning._

_"Bye, Finn..."_

**~ ... ~**

The sun had almost risen above the horizon when Finn heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Finn...! Where are you man?" his brother Jake the Dog called out. Finn yawned tiredly, sluggishly turning his head towards his brothers calls.

"Finn!" the dog called out again.

Finn groaned lazily and raised himself off the ground. "I'm here Jake!" he yelled out. Just moments later, a stretching foot of yellow appeared over the hill separating the two. As it moved, the body of Jake came along with it.

"Finn! There you are!" Jake exclaimed as he landed in front of the boy. "I woke up and you weren't in your bed, I looked around the house and you weren't there either, so I came out looking for you. What are you doing out here man?" he questioned.

Finn looked away, almost letting tears form into his eyes from the sudden question. "Nothing man... just... couldn't sleep." he lied.

Jake wasn't convinced, when Finn didn't look him in the eyes he knew something was up. "Is this about Flame Princess?" the issue last night had definitely caused problems for his brother, and it was all his fault. He should have at least asked Finn before he went off picking love interests for him. "You can tell me bro, I'm here for you."

Finn looked at him, his expression fuming frustration. "I can't help it Jake, I just can't get my mind off her!" the boy lashed out. "Why does love have to be so flippin' complicated! First PB rejects me, after everything I done for her! Now Flame Princess doesn't trust me.." his eyes lowered, his temper calming. "I just.. wish I didn't have these emotions..."

Jake lowered his eyes from Finn's own, a guilty look on his face. He shouldn't have been so careless with what he said, the girl would have trusted them both from the start if it weren't for his stupidity.. It was all his fault, he had to fix it somehow..

"Why don't we head out for a while? See if anyone needs our help?" the dog asked, doing anything he could to cheer Finn up.

"No..." Finn replied dully.

"Play video games?" Jake continued.

"No!" the boy replied more sternly this time.

"How about we head down to Marceline's?" Jake was desperate, he would never suggest such a thing, he was terrified of vampires.

"Glob it Jake, _no!_" Finn burst out, going back to his sitting position against the hill. He turned around to face the horizon. A tear caressed down the boy's cheek. "I just... have to see her again."

Jake didn't know what to do, his mind raced in thought. his brother was too far gone to be cheered up with anything but her. An idea flashed into his mind.

"Just head back inside soon bro, I'll be back later." Jake explained. He walked towards and soon came out with a backpack. He said goodbye to Finn and headed out towards the Candy Kingdom. He was determined to help Finn, he planned to find information on the whereabouts of Flame Princess. He had to start somewhere, and the person most attuned to information around Ooo would be none other than Finn's old crush.

Princess Bubblegum.

**_- End of Chapter 1 -_**

**_Author's Notes:_** I hope you enjoyed it, if you did, hit up the next chapter and keep reading! If you didn't, leave a review on what I could improve and I'll take it into full consideration :)

This chapter is short because it was originally a prologue ^_^. They get longer as the story progresses, I hope you enjoy!


	2. Decision

**_Author's Notes: _**_Edited 5/4/13_

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- _Decision_, Chapter 2 -**

Jake stretched himself into the air, making his legs long enough to be able to walk over the forest with ease. He could easily see the Candy Kingdom from this height, and would be there in no time.

As the sun rose further into the sky, the shadows around him began to sharpen and the beauty of the sunset had ended. The forest offered up new beauty, birds and butterflies fluttering around the sky, drawing Jake's attention and almost making him forget about what he was doing. He snapped himself out of it, and hurried over the lush green trees.

"I sure hope Finn doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone..." Jake thought to himself. He knew what Finn was like when he wanted something, he was reckless. He just hoped he would stay in the house and wait for Jake's return. If he was to run off in search of Flame Princess, especially with the burns he had suffered yesterday, he would surely collapse of exhaustion, as much stamina as the young energetic human had.

Lost in thought, Jake hadn't noticed his arrival into the CandyForest that surrounded the Candy Kingdom. Pink trees resembling cotton candy sprung out of the ground, littering the ground and atmosphere with pink fluff that made the world around him sparkle. He lowered himself down and walked towards the gates.

He greeted the guards as he walked towards them. They bowed their heads down, obviously aware of the hero Jake the Dog was. He, alongside Finn, had become quite the legend around the land of Ooo; especially to the people of the Candy Kingdom.

"There's really no need guys, I'm just a dog." Jake said. He gestured for the Banana Guards to stand up as he walked through the gates. He made his way through the Candy Kingdom, receiving greetings from many of the candy citizens. He eventually reached the palace, and was greeted by Peppermint Butler. He informed him the Princess would most likely be in her lab, so he made his way up the many flights of stairs until he reached the designated floor, walking over to the lab door.

He knocked, calling out to the princess.

"Princess Bubblegum?"

**~ ... ~**

Finn pushed open the door of the tree house, and walked out into the open. He admired the view of the Grass Lands for a moment before rushing out in the direction of the Goblin Kingdom. His exposed body was now wrapped in multiple layers of thick cloth. He had planned to use it to be able to talk to Flame Princess without her burning him, or worse, him hurting her. It was supposed to be resistant to certain levels of heat, but not to a point that it would completely protect him from fire. So he wrapped multiple layers around the areas of his body that he deemed necessary.

He knew he couldn't disobey Jake, but he just had to. If he didn't see Flame Princess soon, to be able to explain to her how he feels... he'd surely lose himself in depression. The feeling she gave him when he first gazed upon her glowing beauty, holding her in his arms... he just felt something so powerful deep inside him. The moment in the burning city where she asked him that one, life-changing question... had changed him forever. The love he had for Princess Bubblegum weakened or diminished completely, it didn't matter. It faded before the Flame Princess' ever-glowing beauty. It was puppy love he had felt for Bubblegum. But this was true love, and Finn would not just let it go, no matter how many people told him otherwise. He wasn't aware of Jake's intentions for going to the Candy Kingdom, probably just chatting it up with Lady Rainicorn. He wasn't just going to sit by and let Flame Princess slip away from him.

He arrived at the Goblin Kingdom, where they had already been rebuilding from the attack of the "Fiery Demon" as Flame Princess had been nicknamed. The giant suit he had left in the middle of the town was turned into a monument, with Finn's name engraved at the bottom. Goblin's littered the sides and roofs of the buildings, bits and pieces being lifted around and fit into place. Smoke still arose from the aftermath of the fire from many buildings, clouding the sky's vision. He approached the gates and was greeted by a group of goblins.

"It's the great hero Finn! Welcome back to the Goblin Kingdom. How could we be of service?" one of the larger ones asked.

"Thank you for saving our city from the evil daughter of the Flame King, Finn. If there's anything my people can do for you, just ask." a small goblin said, walking through the crowd. He was wearing a large golden crown; sparkling sapphires embed in the metal. He was most likely the newly crowned Goblin King.

Finn felt a slight rush of anger for the misunderstood Flame Princess, but he quickly brushed it off. He was here for directions, not to educate.

"I came in search of Flame Princess, would you have any lead on where she was headed after the attack?" Finn asked, trying to make himself sound as formal as he could.

There was a large murmur throughout the crowd.

"She was last seen headed east towards the river, our scouts report she may have stopped to rest somewhere downstream." a rather mysterious-looking goblin dressed in a black hooded suit answered.

Finn stared, almost giggling at how cute it was. His expression was obviously noticeable, as the goblin returned him an angry glare.

"We of the Goblin Kingdom's Black Ops rarely share information, so keep what I say to yourself." the Black Ops Goblin spat.

Finn nodded agreement, and the goblin continued.

"We believe that the Flame Princess is supposed to be locked up in her kingdom, and that a Princess of Ooo is responsible for it. We're not sure who, but if you figure it out I suggest you talk to them before trying to run free with your monster." The goblin sneered.

Finn held back his anger, he had no time for an arguments.

"Thanks guys, I'll be on my way."

Finn hurried off past the Goblin Kingdom, towards the river.

**~ ... ~**

"Yes, Come in Jake!" Princess Bubblegum yelled out.

Jake entered the Lab, and noticed the Princess was working on another experiment. He didn't bother asking, knowing that the Princess would drift off into boring science talk for hours without even realizing he's not listening.

The room was littered with bottles of all colors, shapes and sizes. The room seemed to be bubbling in itself and there was a thick gas littering the air. It seemed pretty dangerous, but PB didn't really seem to mind it.

"What do you need Jake? Where's Finn?" PB asked.

She was dressed in her trademark lab coat, sciency goggles on her head while her dress fitted underneath. Her golden crown sprung out the top of her head and her gooey hair was tired up in a ponytail revealing her entire figure for once. She normally had her long gooey hair hanging in the most formal way she could make it, so it was odd seeing her like this.

"Uh, Finn's back at home, and I was just wondering if I could ask you something."

PB put down the bottles she was holding, placing them in individually in their slots before raising her goggles and looking to Jake.

"Yes, what would you like to ask?" she smiled.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you know anything on the whereabouts of the Flame Princess. A lot of stuff happened last night and she left the Fire Kingdom. Finn really wants to know where she is, he has this massive crush on her." Jake snickered, finding it humorous telling Finn's old crush he now had a new love interest.

Jake noticed PB's expression quickly change to dire, and his expression quickly changed with it.

"What's wrong PB?" he asked.

She fell silent, looking as if a million thoughts were racing through her head.

_"Could she be jealous?"_ Jake thought. For what other reason could she be acting this way? He smirked at the Princess.

PB quickly snapped out of it, aware of Jake's immature expression and quickly responded. "This is really bad Jake; we have to find Flame Princess before she even has the chance to see Finn!"

Jake's smirk expression only deepened, and he slowly drew out one word. "Jeeeaalous?" he teased.

PB almost gave him a disgusted look, and a slight blush appeared on her cheek. She brushed it off and raised her voice. "No Jake! Flame Princess is physically unstable! Her body can't handle high levels of emotion! _Glob_, if Finn gets too involved with her..."

Jake's eyes widened in shocked curiosity and he looked at her. "What would happen?"

She didn't respond.

"PB!?" he asked, beginning to raise his voice.

Peppermint Butler opened the door, light breaking into the rather dark room, almost blinding Jake as his eyes began to adjust to the brightness.

"Everything okay in here, Princess?" he asked.

The candy princess looked towards Peppermint Butler.

"Everything's fine." she looked back towards Jake.

"How did Flame Princess escape?" she grabbed him by the shoulders. He scratched his head, and hesitated to speak.

"Eh... I sorta... uh... courted her in place of Finn, to help him get over a crush... and she was released by her father." he spoke reluctantly.

"_WHAT!?_ Why do you think I had her locked up in that lantern in the first place!?" PB Yelled, her arms flailing at him. He drew back, scared at this side of the Princess. When she wanted to, the Princess scared him more than Marceline.

Jake was shocked. It was PB who had locked Flame Princess in the chamber. He didn't have any idea she even knew who Flame Princess was until now.

She sat down, and thought for a couple of seconds.

"We have to find Flame Princess, _fast_." she jumped out of her lap coat, rushing over and searching through her stockpile of science stuff. She eventually pulled out a large gun; it had tubes protruding in and out of the base and a large nozzle at the front.

"I hope I don't have to use this, but who knows how she'll react." she said.

Jake didn't know what to do. He came to help Finn find Flame Princess, not to have her locked up again. He simply followed the Princess out the door, torn between choices.

At the same time, the human boy approached a cliff overlooking a river.

**_- End of Chapter 2 -_**

**_Author's Notes:_** Hope you like this chapter, got some positive feedback on the first one. Sorry if this one wasn't as detailed as the last one, but I had to advance the plot forward so we could get into the story. It's more of a buildup than anything else.


	3. Reunion

_**Author's Notes:**_ Alright guys, so I've gotten a couple of reviews and follows, so let's start talking about update times.

The plan is pretty much to update whenever I feel like it. I don't like updating at specific times because it puts strain on the work and it eventually just comes out the other end mangled and horrible. I feel like writing a lot, so don't worry about that.

So I may update every day at some points, or a week in between. Just depends on my mood and how I'm feeling. And now, without further assassination of the time that you will never get back reading this, the chapter.

_Edited 21/3/13_

_**Disclaimer:**_ *Insert witty comment here* I do not own Adventure Time.

_**~ Fiery Embrace ~**_

**- _Reunion_, Chapter 3 -**

Finn leaned over the side of the cliff, looking down to the gushing river below. The water smashed against the rocks, eating away at the sides of the cliff. It looked as if the side of the cliff was about to fall, but it held its sturdiness, as it had done for centuries before. Images flashed into his mind of Flame Princess leaning over the side of the cliff, and a chunk of the terrain ripping apart from the landscape and pulling her with it, down into the unforgiving current. He shook the thought away, and began sprinting down the edge of the river.

He had to find her quickly, who knows what could have happened in the time he was gone. Not many people would take kindly to a fire elemental alone in the forest, the Fire King had made sure that his people we're as infamous as possible over the years, showing no kindness to any of the kingdoms around Ooo in any way, and acting hostile to any stranger that crossed their borders. Finn had never gone to the FireKingdom, and still questioned why Jake would go to there, of all places, to find a Princess for him. He didn't ask however, he couldn't complain with the results.

The cliff had gradually lowered until it was just a meter above the river. The path was beginning to become overgrown with impassible vines and brush. He changed paths and moved down the side back into the forest, jumping over rocks and fallen trees, his hat almost flying off his head. The tip of his foot smacked into the top of a boulder. He began to tumble down the slanted slope of the forest, until he rolled out through the brush into an opening.

"Ugh..." he moaned, raising himself off the ground slowly.

Raising his head, his eyes locked onto a comfortable sight. His heart jumped, as he realized what he was looking at.

There she was, asleep, laying against a fallen tree that stuck out in the wide opening, Flame Princess. He slowly walked towards her, wondering what he would do, what he would say; finding her here came as a surprise. He spent so much time thinking about her, but he hadn't even thought once of what he would say once he found her. As he got closer, she still hadn't woken up.

She was so beautiful when she slept, she looked so innocent. He almost didn't want her to wake up. It was the most adorable yet comforting sight he had ever seen, but as he took one more step towards her, his foot landed on a conveniently placed twig.

_*craaack!*_

Fireballs flew everywhere, as Finn dived down for cover. Flame Princess had flared up, and raised herself to face the unwelcome intruder. Flames swirled around her and the intense heat forced Finn to curl up into a ball, facing his body away from the fire. He readied himself for the burning sensation that was to come. But it never did, he looked up towards Flame Princess. She was staring at him with a sorrowful expression, the same one she had atop the Goblin Kingdom.

"Finn..." she breathed, tears swelling up in her eyes. She quickly turned around and began to rush off. Before she could, however, Finn had grabbed her by her wrist.

Her heart jumped at his touch, and her emotions began to swirl up inside her. How much she wanted to be with him, but she kept hurting him. The one person she didn't want to hurt more then anyone. A ring of fire swirled around the two. As she turned around, she pulled away from him. But he just tightened his grip on her hand. She then looked at his body; it was wrapped in bandage, to protect him from her touch.

She composed herself, realizing the situation. The shock had her disoriented, her cheeks darkening a little as she looked into his eyes. She must have looked ridiculous.

"What are you doing here Finn?" she asked him. He blushed at the question, as he let go of her hand. The fire around them died down, leaving a burning trail that ringed around the two.

"I had to see you... I think we parted on a bad note before..." he said, scratching the back of his head. He looked so cute when he done this.

She giggled lightly at him. "Yeah, we did, didn't we?" she smiled.

He smiled back, and continued, warming up to the situation. "I know that you think things can't work between us, I know you think it's impossible..." he took a deep breath, nervousness overtaking him. "I've fallen short so many times in telling people how I feel; I'm just not good with emotions I guess.." he gazed into her eyes. "...When I look at you, I know that it's not going to be any walk in the park being with you. I know that we will struggle, I know there will be problems.. But when I look at you, I know it's all going to turn out okay, that it's all gonna be worth it. he spoke from his heart, holding her hand once again.

The girl didn't know what to say.

"You make feel all stupid inside, I get all giddy and I don't know what to say. Every time I look at you I get this feeling in my chest that I can't get away from..." he paused, and they stared at each other for a couple of seconds.

"I'm not saying '_be with me'_, but can we at least try? Step by step? I promise to my hero ways, that everything will turn out for the better... if you give me a chance." he spoke softly, but pleadingly.

She hesitated as she returned his look, and embraced him.

The flames surged around them, rising up into the clear sky. They we're in a ring of fire, and as her emotions deepened the blaze intensified. But it never hurt Finn; she kept her emotions at bay, fending off the urge to release him.

"I'll hold you to that..." she said with a slight sob in her voice. A tear fell from her eye, as she rested her chin on his shoulder, pulling him in even tighter. Never had anyone cared this much for her. Never had anyone looked at her as anything but a monster, an chaotic elemental that only destroyed. Her very own people had locked her up, even her own father, their princess.

But this person, Finn, was willing to put everything on the line for her. He looked past everything on her outer exterior in a single glance. The first time he ever set eyes on her, she knew that he saw something more than just a monster.

She raised her head from his shoulder, and leaned in towards him.

"Finn, step away from Flame Princess, now!" a familiar voice yelled, Finn turned to the sound, to see none other than Princess Bubblegum aiming an odd looking weapon towards them.

He pushed away from Flame Princess. She had burned through the bandage around his arms, and the burning sensation slowly moved in as the adrenaline wore off.

"Owowowowow!" he exclaimed, waving the fire out of his arms. As the flames were waved away, he turned and looked sternly

"Finn, I said step away from Flame Princess. I don't want you to get hurt." PB exclaimed, as Jake came out from behind her, a sorrowful look in his eyes.

He glared at Bubblegum. He still didn't feel comfortable around her yet; she had always treated him like a boy, never even thinking of him as a possible love interest, not even once. Even after he saved her, and all of Ooo multiple times, done everything for her, and the one thing he wanted in return was to be seen as a confident hero, not an immature boy. He then turned his head towards Jake, why was he here?

Looking back towards the candy princess, he spoke. "I don't care if she hurts me PB, but why do you care?" he said, glaring her down.

Princess Bubblegum pulled the latch back on her gun and aimed at them.

"I wasn't talking about her, I'm talking about me. If you don't get away from her, and let me take her back to where she belongs, I'll be forced to harm you." she said with a commanding voice, still talking down to him like he was a child.

Finn didn't react; he calmed himself and looked towards Jake. "Jake, what's this about man, why are you and Peebles here?" he asked.

Jake didn't respond, looking towards the candy princess. "Let me talk to him, he'll have to understand..." he said,and reluctantly walked up to the teenager. He hated this, he wanted to help Finn, not take the one thing that had made him happy in weeks from him. But he had to do this. Finn and Flame Princess being together put the entire world in danger, as PB had explained on their way over here. Jake had tracked Finn's scent from the house when he realized he wasn't there, all the way to the Goblin Kingdom. He got directions from the Black Ops member, and they rushed over as fast as possible.

As Jake got to Finn, he looked up to him. "Finn, look man..." putting his hand on his shoulder. "You and Flame Princess can't be together. I know you're confused, and you must think I'm the biggest butt in the world right now. She has all this mumbo jumbo messed up with her body, if she gets too excited emotionally she could destroy the world. You two being together would endanger all of Ooo constantly. We have to take her back man."

Finn threw Jake's hand off his shoulder, and turned his head away from him, a disgusted look in his eyes.

"I thought you we're my brother man." Finn said quietly, looking at Flame Princess. She had been standing there motionless the entire time, just staring at PB with a shocked expression on her face. Finn couldn't read her; he didn't know what was wrong.

"It's you..." Flame Princess spoke.

"..."

"It's you..." she repeated.

"FP, what's wrong?" Finn asked putting his hand on her shoulder.

Flame Princess was deep in thought, her mind flashing back to an event eight years ago.

**~ ... ~**

_Flame Princess was six years old, playing in the lava fields around the castle. She skipped around the gaps, giggling at every sight she could see. Her father sat down nearby, watching his daughter playing joyfully._

_Flame Princess turned to see her father interrupted by a guard. They exchanged words, a serious expression falling onto her father's face.. She walked up to him. "Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked. Her father gestured for her to follow. She reluctantly complied, confused at what was happening._

_As they got into the throne room, her father turned to face her. "Stay here, Daddy has to do some business." she nodded, and watched as her father walked over to a rather odd-looking lady, she had a Flame Shield on, as her father had explained to her in the past. It made the strange lady a pinkish-blue color. She had never seen someone outside the Fire Kingdom, and her curiosity had gotten the better of her as she hid behind the throne._

_She listened to her father converse with the pink lady, but could barely make out words like 'dangerous' and 'imprison'. Her father's expression had changed to dire, and he reluctantly nodded in agreement. The blue lady gestured for a group of funny looking people, all of them coated in different shades of blue, to carry in a lamp-like glass._

_After a few minutes, the lamp was hanging from the ceiling. It looked beautiful, she thought. She wondered what it was for. Her thoughts were interrupted by her father, who had grabbed her by the hand and placed her in the arms of his servants._

_"Daddy!? What's going on!?" she asked but he just gave her a sad look and turned away._

_"I'm sorry..." he said with a deep sorrow in his voice. The servants placed her in the lamp, and locked the hatch on the door. She placed her face against the glass, and just stared at her Dad. As he discovered her stare, he left the room, looking extremely distraught._

_Her hands pressed against the glass, she looked down towards the servants. "Help!" she yelled. They didn't respond._

_"I'm up here!" she yelled again. They glanced at her for a moment, before they continued to walk through the throne room. _

_She spent the entire day simply calling out to anyone who would pass through the room. She didn't get angry or sad, she was just confused. The naive little girl was oblivious to the world of misery she was due to experience for the rest of her life. As the hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, she realized she wasn't getting released._

_She had stayed in that lamp for years, no matter how much she had exploded into a fiery inferno, no matter how much she had screamed, cried, pleaded for help. No one could heed her calls. She was alone for eight years; only having her thoughts to comfort her._

_"What could that lady have said to make my own Father do this to me?" was the one question she asked herself the entire eternity she had spent in that lamp._

**~ ... ~**

_"It's you!"_ Flame Princess repeated again, screaming. Her body began to implode into a fiery inferno, and she grew to the size of the CandyKingdom's castle.

_"I'll kill you..."_ she breathed.

_**- End of Chapter 3 -**_

_**Author's Notes:**_ How was this chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone next chapter =3!

_Important:_ As with every chapter, point out all grammar mistakes for me. I'm quite a confident speller but I do make some mistakes and misuse some words sometimes. A thank you to _Harvest-Mooniac_ for pointing out two silly mistakes from me last chapter XD.


	4. Scorched

_**Author's Notes:**_ Alright guys, so a bit has happened since last chapter, so I'll get right down to it.

As of now, _StrikerXE_ will be my unofficial editor and Beta Reader, and will be editing out any grammar mistakes and changing the wording around a bit just because he's that much of a good guy ^_^.

I'd also like to give a big thank you to _Harvest-Mooniac_ for mentioning this fanfic in one of his chapters, such a nice guy too, and it's only fair that I do the same for him :). After you read this chapter, be sure to check out Harvest-Mooniac's story 'Through the Ages, to New Lands.' A short summary: It's about a science experiment gone wrong and a guy from the modern times gets blasted into Ooo. Finn/FP shippers will really like this one too.

Here's the chapter!

_Edited 21/3/13_

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Adventure Time :'(.

_**~ Fiery Embrace ~**_

**- **_**Scorched,**_** Chapter 4 -**

Finn watched Flame Princess grow before his eyes, her fiery eyes filling with rage as her flames grew bigger and bigger. A massive ring of fire swirled around her, and he was almost caught in it before Jake threw him backwards and covered him with his body, turning into a half-dome shape on the top of him.

Finn had to stop her, but he didn't know what to do. If he didn't do something soon she was going to kill PB. "Get off me Jake!" he yelled, a mixture of anger on his voice, trying to overthrow the screeching vortex sound of FP's flames. He threw Jake off him, who hit the ground with a thud. Finn gave him a quick glance to make sure he was alright, and ran over to Flame Princess.

Flame Princess kept growing and growing, the bigger she became, the deeper she fell into the fiery abyss in her soul. Her rage was consuming her, she had no control over what she was doing the instant she accepted the anger into her mind. She could only float in there, inside the flames, letting the rage do its will. Voices ringed in and out of her head, fueling her rage. _"Kill her... She deserves it... remember what she's done to us..."_ the voices sneered.

_"Stop!"_ she yelled pleading, already deep into her own world of consciousness. The voices sneered at her, as she curled up into a ball crying. The voices continued, taking control over her very being.

"Finn..." she whispered one last time before falling into despair.

"Don't make me do this!" Finn heard PB yell, he looked at her, she was aiming her gun directly at Flame Princess, trigger held tight.

She looked horrified; he'd never seen her like this. Normally when she needed anything dangerous to be done, she would always call for Finn, using his love for her as a weapon against him, keeping him at a safe distance the entire time, as if he were her own personal slave. He didn't realize it at first, but now that he had a grasp of what it was like to actually embrace his love for someone, he understood what PB's motives were the entire time. With no hero to rely on, but in fact being against him, the fragile princess was put through a lot of strain.

He didn't know what was inside that weapon of hers, but he knew that if she could stand there and make threats against a raging fire elemental twenty times her size, it had to be something special.

"PB, stop!" he yelled, running over to her.

Before he could even get close, an ear-piercing screaming was heard from Flame Princess. Flames flew in every direction from her flaming body, covering everything around her in thick flames, the massive log incinerating into ashes instantly. Before the body of flames could wash over Finn, he was sent flying into the river, propelled by a furry yellow hand. The last thing he saw was PB firing her weapon, before he crashed into the river. He sunk down to the bottom, little air bubbles flying out of his mouth. He felt dazed, his head spinning. He pushed his body upwards, the current swiping him downstream. Several minutes had passed by the time he raised himself up above the torrent of water. He gasped for air before realizing he was already behind the large opening that separated the two sides of the forest.

If there ever was a forest.

As he struggled against the current, grabbing the sides of the slippery rocks, he looked to the scene of destruction before him. Everything within a mile radius of the opening had been completely incinerated into ashes. Barely any fire remained, as if it had burned anything there was to burn in an instant, like completely using up a match in a flash. The land was grey, no green, no life, no plants or trees.

Nothing remained.

_"Jake..."_ he thought, pulling himself onto dry land. He struggled to breath for a moment, and then raised himself off the ground before sprinting towards the opening.

The terrain wasn't even warm, cold even. Millions of tiny black specs littered the atmosphere, making the world seem grey around him. It was as if Ooo had fallen under an apocalypse. He could see green on the horizon, and the CandyKingdom still standing. He would have never been able to spot the fluffy city from the forest, but the lack of the trees made it possible.

As he finally approached the clearing, he was greeted by a horrific scene. Flame Princess had been completely subdued in a giant bubble of water that was tightening around her; she was getting smaller and smaller by the second. Her body was a pale blue, almost grey. But her eyes remained open, an inextinguishable flame burning deep inside her onyx eyes. Something was wrong with her, as if another consciousness had completely taken over her being.

He could see a tail of water sprouting out the back of the bubble, and realized it was connected to the weapon in PB's hands. He ran over to her, his anger swelling up deeper inside him.

"PB, what did you do to her!?" he shouted approaching her. He noticed that her once immaculate gummy hair had been half melted, bits and pieces falling off the tip of her long strands. Her face was covered in ash, as he imagined his own would be.

She turned to him, an angry, yet desperate look in her eyes. She placed the weapon on the ground, the bubble of water still sprouting from it around the Flame Princess.

"You left me no choice! You wouldn't listen to me, now look what's happened!" She angrily gestured to the destruction around them, before turning back to him.

He thought for a second, and looked at her desperately.

"Where's Jake?" he asked.

She looked at him with sorrow in her eyes for a moment, eyes locked between each other.

"I'm sorry Finn... he must have disappeared in the flash, he must have sacrificed himself to save you..."

Tears swelled up in his eyes, before he looked at her.

He gave her a disgusted look, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "If you had just left us alone, this wouldn't have happened. What have you done to her!?" He stopped there, and thought back to what the goblin had said...

**~ ... ~**

_"We of the Goblin Kingdom's Black Ops rarely share information, so keep what I say to yourself." the Black Ops Goblin spat._

_Finn nodded agreement, and the goblin continued._

_"We believe that the Flame Princess is supposed to be locked up in her kingdom, and that a Princess of Ooo is responsible for it..."_

**~ ... ~**

The memory drifted off, and he looked Princess Bubblegum in the eyes.

"It was you..." he began silently.

"You're the one that had her locked in that lamp." he raised his voice. "Why would you do that!?" He said loudly.

She brushed Finn's arms off her shoulders, and looked at him in an angry demeanor, while still maintaining that look she would give to him as if he were a child.

"Finn, Flame Princess' body can't handle massive amounts of emotion. It's been that way since she was born. When news passed of her killing her own mother during a simple tantrum, and almost destroying her entire kingdom, I had to take action for the safety of Ooo." she began.

"When Jake told me he had foolishly convinced her father to release her, I had to take action. Especially since you were interested in her. If my calculations are correct, what happened here is exactly what could have happened if you were ever to trigger a strong romantic emotion within her. Luckily, I was able to stop the reaction before it could wipe out half of Ooo."

Finn looked at her, a shocked expression on his face. He had a mixture of understanding and anger on his face.

Neither of them noticed the dark shadow that had crept behind them, readying itself to execute a plan that had been waiting to set in motion for centuries, waiting for the right opportunity.

"PB, as much as I understand you, you can't just keep someone locked up. It's not right. Did you even consider trying to help her with her problem, instead of just locking her up as if she were another criminal? She didn't deserve this. Look at how much anger she felt just by seeing you!"

He looked at Flame Princess; she looked as if she were dying. Her once fiery hair hung down her back, and she now looked grey, life leaving her eyes as the closed.

"You have to stop this, now!" he cried desperately, grabbing the weapon off the ground.

"How do I stop this thing?" he yelled at PB, who tried to tug the weapon from Finn's hands.

"Finn no! I don't know what will happen if we release her, the reaction could just trigger all over again!" she began.

"She's dying PB! I have to stop it now!" Finn yelled, tearing the gun out of PB's hands before smashing it into the ground.

The water started to disperse starting from the gun's cannon, before dispersing around it in a crescent motion. She began to fall, but before Finn could run over to catch her, something dark, menacing, had flown directly into the princess. Her body was engulfed by a black aura, and it began to widen as the princess opened her eyes, letting out a loud cackle that echoed throughout the clearing.

The Princess' body was now a menacing black, with a fiery green aura surrounding her. Her pupils had gotten smaller and turned green. It was obvious she was no longer herself.

Whatever had possessed her began to admire their newly found powers, creating a ball of dark flames in their hands.

It let out a cackle again, before looking down to the two.

"The power to destroy worlds... finally at my grasp. I thank you, Finn the Human, and Princess of the CandyKingdom, for running your mouths so much about this destructive force of nature!" he teased menacingly.

"Who... who are you?" Finn asked confused.

"Why, I'm the very being you thought you had destroyed!" he said in a mocking tone.

Finn thought for a second, and when he realized, he couldn't believe it. He looked towards PB, who obviously had the same idea due to the same shocked look in her eyes.

"The Lich..." Finn whispered.

The Lich looked away from them, towards the CandyKingdom.

"Now if you excuse me, I have a world to destroy." he said, before disappearing in a vortex of fire, a loud cackle echoing in the distance…

_**- End of Chapter 4 -**_

_**Author's Notes:**_ What do you think? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see you everyone on the next chapter! Sorry if it's a bit short, I didn't have much time to write this one.


	5. Thank You

**_Author's Notes:_** I'll be releasing chapters very regularly for the next couple of weeks. Due to the fanfic being new, I want to progress the storyline ahead faster, some might say I'm rushing it, but I'm fine writing on a daily basis. I enjoy it too much ^_^.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Thank You_****, Chapter 5 -**

Finn fell to his knees, making ash flurry from underneath him up into the sky. Tears flowed down his cheeks, as he watched the trail of fire disappear towards the CandyKingdom.

He had lost everyone. Flame Princess is gone, PB probably hates him, and Jake is dead...

"Jake..." he thought.

He buried his face into his knees, wrapping his own arms around himself, he lay there sobbing, not knowing what to do, who to turn to. The Lich was on his way to the CandyKingdom, he was going to destroy everything. And it was all his fault. If he had just listened to Jake from the start, none of this would have happened.

"And now he's gone..." Finn said the last part out loud.

Princess Bubblegum walked over to him and leaned over. Her hair was shorter now and  
its shape was irregular. It had been half melted in the blast when Flame Princess grew too far out of control, PB was lucky enough she had her weapon to shield her and subdue the raging princess before she completely incinerated half of Ooo.

"Finn..." she began, raising a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want to hear it PB." He stopped her, and looked towards the CandyKingdom.

"This is all my fault... If I had just listened to him from the start, he wouldn't be gone." he sobbed, tears still flowing down his face. "Glob! All liking someone has ever done to me getting betrayed and hurt, I'm done with this stupid game... I don't want to play anymore." Finn cried, as PB comforted him.

"Finn, as much as I understand what you're going through now, you're a hero. You can't just turn away from this. You have to save Flame Princess and all of Ooo. There's not much I can do to apologize, but I guess sorry would be a good start."

She continued, walking in front of him so she was looking him in the eyes.

"Finn, this is my fault too, most of it actually. What you said was true, I was extremely intolerable with my actions... none of this would've happened if it weren't for my foolishness from the very start. But you can't just sit here and do nothing, Flame Princess is waiting for you!" PB said, her eyes full of intent.

He wiped the tears from his face, and looked towards the CandyKingdom.

**_"You would defy nature for me?"_** Flame Princess' voice ringed in his mind.

_"I'll hold you to that..."_ _she said with a slight sob in her voice._

Finn raised himself from the ground, he wasn't about to give up. As much as he didn't like PB right now, she was right. After all he's been through, he wasn't just going to let this happen to Flame Princess, or any creature of Ooo. Most of all, he wasn't going to let Jake's sacrifice go in vain. He would want him to be strong, not to sit and cry, to be useless.

"Thanks PB..." he said, without turning back. He hurried off towards the CandyKingdom.

**~ ... ~**

_Somewhere far down the river, a small furry hand raked at the sides of the bank, searching for a handhold to raise itself out of the relentless currents._

~ ... ~

Back at the CandyKingdom, it had been a normal day. The sun was clear in the sky, birds fluttered in flocks around the streets, the pollen from the many cotton candy trees rising up into the atmosphere, making the world sparkle around them. It was a really beautiful day.

Peppermint Butler was tidying up the princess' lab, after she hastily rushed out of the CandyKingdom with Jake to take care of the Flame Princess problem, she had left the place a mess.

He sighed, as he picked up random cracked bottles and equipment lying around. As he walked towards the door, he dropped the bottles in shock as a massive earthquake shook the entire castle. They smashed against the ground, shattering glass everywhere. After a few seconds the tremor ended, and he looked out the window.

He couldn't believe what he was looking at; a massive explosion had just incinerated half of the forest near the grass lands. He couldn't see anything, or what had caused it due to how far away it was. He could only watch as the cloud of smoke dispersed, leaving a massive grey scar etched into the landscape. "Oh my..." he exclaimed.

Minutes passed, and he spotted something dark, menacing flying towards the CandyKingdom. It became bigger and bigger as it got closer in the distance. He ran up to the bell tower, and sounded the alarm. Whatever it was, it didn't look friendly.

**~ ... ~**

They hurried through the massive grey clearing, ash pelting against their faces. They must've been completely covered in the tiny specs by now. They didn't hesitate as they got to the edge of the clearing, and leapt through bushes, jumping over rocks, logs and rivers, sprinting towards their goal.

"I can't even imagine what would happen if the Lich makes it there. My people won't stand a chance! They'll explode the instant they see a gigantic, demonic fire elemental looming over the top of the kingdom!" PB cried, quickening her pace.

Finn didn't respond, his mind was set on the goal; to stop The Lich. The one person in the world right now that he wanted to be with, had been taken away from him. Maybe even the one person in all of this chaotic world that actually understands him as much as he understands her. He definitely wasn't going to let his brother's sacrifice go in vain, he promised himself.

A short amount of time had passed, and he was already in the CandyForest. PB wasn't that far behind surprisingly, he didn't think she could keep up with him all this way. He was running faster than he had ever ran before, stamina was no longer an issue either; he was running on pure determination.

Finn and Princess Bubblegum arrived at the CandyKingdom, only to witness the horrific sight before them. The Lich had grown to the size of the castle, and was thrashing its body around, sending dark, demonic flames over the entire city.

_"No!"_ PB cried, dashing towards the castle.

"PB wait! Your buns will be toasted if you go in there!" Finn yelled.

PB turned around, still sprinting at the same time. "I have to save my people!" She said, tears swelling up into her eyes. The pressure was just too much for her, but she was still willing to put her life on the line, hero or not, to save her people.

"And here I was... thinking about giving up." Finn thought, a smile appearing on his face.

He ran in after her, not sure of what he was going to do. He couldn't fight Flame Princess. Time was against him, and he had to think of a plan fast. What could he do to stop the Lich without hurting him?

He thought back to the day The Lich escaped for the first time, something was bugging him about it, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

As he made his way through the gates, he looked up towards the demonic mass that now was Flame Princess. All she ever wanted was to control her powers, not destroy everything in sight. Now the one person on Ooo who wanted to destroy everything, but couldn't in the past, had possessed the one person who could. It was a disaster, he didn't know if she could be stopped. Unless he came up with a plan soon, all hope would be lost.

Dark flames were being tossed at everything, every house, every store; every structure was being melted to the ground. The CandyKingdom didn't stand a chance. The sky seemed to glow a light green as The Lich's presence remained in it. All he could hear was loud, psychopath cackles of The Lich and the desperate cries of the candy citizens.

He ran through the streets, dodging fires and rushing past burning buildings. He tried to ignore the cries of candy citizens, tried to repel his urge to help people. The quicker he could stop The Lich, the quicker their suffering would end. He could see PB gathering as many candy people as she could, and leading them to safety.

His eyes drew him to the jewel on her crown...

"The gems! That's it!" He yelled, looking towards PB who gave him a confused expression as she continued to hurry the candy people away from danger.

Finn ran up to PB, and swiped the crown from her head.

"_Hey!_ That's my crown, you butt!" PB said, raising a fist at Finn.

"Sorry!" he yelled, as he tore the gem from it and tossed the crown behind him, hopefully towards PB. He didn't care; he sprinted into the castle and began to make his way to the top.

~ ... ~

After minutes of climbing, Finn now stood tall atop the candy castle, the colossal tree of the castle behind him. The entire kingdom was almost completely destroyed, aside from the Candy Castle. The Lich had begun tearing at its foundations, not noticing the bear-capped hero standing atop the roof.

_"Hey Lich!"_ Finn yelled, hoping for his attention.

The Lich looked towards the hero, and let out a loud cackle.

"Well if it isn't the great hero of Ooo, Finn the Human!" he said mockingly.

"Have you come to surrender boy?" the Lich said as he conjured crackling balls of green fire in his hands. "Sorry, but I'm not taking prisoners right now." he hurled them towards him.

Suddenly a voice pierced through Finn's ears, letting out a desperate cry for help.

_"Help me..."_

It was Flame Princess, she was calling out to him.

Without another word, he leaped over the fireball that flew at him. Missing it's target, the ball of fire smashed into the colossal tree atop the castle. An crackling explosion ensued that completely wrapped the tree in a massive cloak of fire that ripped at its foundations. Finn was sent hurdling towards the Lich by the explosion,

Princess Bubblegum could only watch as the great tree that her own great grandfather had founded was turned to crisp atop the castle. She gasped in shock as she noticed the shade of blue and white descending into the flames of the Lich.

"What is he doing!? He's going to get himself killed!" she muttered as she watched, unable to do anything.

Finn held the jewel tightly into his chest, closed his eyes, and let himself fall into oblivion.

A massive explosion of fluorescent blue light ensued, illuminating the entire kingdom. The flames terrorizing the kingdom dispersed in a rush of wind. The light continued to grow brighter and brighter, slowly dispersing in a final burst of wind. It was only when the flash had finally cleared that the candy princess could see what had happened. The massive demonic figure of the possessed Flame Princess had disappeared.

She looked closer, and saw the body of Flame Princess gradually falling from the sky, closer and closer to the ground. She began to run, knowing she wouldn't make it, until she saw Finn leap out from behind a melted building, catching her in his arms.

~ ... ~

Finn collapsed to the ground, Flame Princess in his arms. She was cold, he couldn't feel the slightest bit of warmth radiating off her. Third degree burn marks covered his entire body, making him feel a painful stinging sensation around his entire body. He only held tighter onto Flame Princess, he didn't want to lose her.

He placed his head against her chest, and noticed she wasn't breathing. He panicked, and in a split second of desperation, he leaned in and pushed his lips against hers.

Just as he did this, Flame Princess gasped for air, opening her eyes. Her body began to warm up, as she awoke to find Finn's lips pressed against her own.

"Finn..." she spoke softly, and let out a light giggle when he pulled away blushing, his cheeks turning scarlet red.

She caressed her hand across his face before she became too hot for his fragile skin to handle. She wanted this moment to last forever, but it ended quickly as Finn's eyes rolled back his head, and his head thumped against the ground. He had passed out under her.

She raised the front of her body up, sitting down next to Finn. She quickly checked to see if he was fine. He had completely collapsed out of exhaustion.

"Thank you Finn." she spoke, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"_Thank you_."

**_~ End of Chapter 5 ~_**

**_Author's Notes:_** Sorry for the short chapter, I'll make up for it next time, I promise! I just really liked the way it ended and didn't want to ruin it by continuing anymore. The Lich isn't done yet, he still has a massive role to play in this fan fiction.

What do you think of this chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see you everyone on the next chapter!


	6. Aftermath

**_Author's Notes:_** Not much to say I guess, enjoy the chapter!

Oh right, check out _"Adventure Time in Another Dimension"_ by _wiseguy1107_. It's a nice fanfic, I've enjoyed reading it so far and I would like to give him some spotlight ^_^.

Short summary; it's about an OC who gets sucked in out of his dimension into the world of Ooo and meets up with Finn and Jake.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Aftermath_****, Chapter 6 -**

Princess Bubblegum rushed towards the main square where Finn and Flame Princess had landed. The Candy Kingdom was half destroyed, half-melted houses and broken foundations littered the once perfect kingdom. Her citizens had fled to the outskirts of the kingdom to avoid the raging fire elemental. As they began to notice the chaos had ended, they slowly began to come back into the kingdom.

PB arrived at the scene, to find Flame Princess holding an unconscious Finn in her arms. She ran over to them, and gasped in shock at the burns Finn had suffered. His skin was half peeling and his body was a light red. His condition didn't look urgent though, and he seemed to be breathing normally. She turned her eyes towards Flame Princess, who had a slight blush covering her cheeks while she stared at Finn. Her body a darker color than usual, and PB could barely feel the heat radiating off her body.

Flame Princess turned to look at PB, and lay Finn down softly. Her body heated up to its normal temperature, and she glared at the candy princess. A short moment of silence and tension filled the air, until PB spoke.

"Flame Princess... I can explain..." PB began, trying to stop herself from being turned into charcoal.

"Why?" Flame Princess interrupted. "Why would you do that to me...?"

"Lock me away from everyone, my friends, my father... my life, why would you deprive me of my entire childhood...?" Flame Princess asked with a sob in her voice. "What kind of person are you to do that to someone?" she asked pleadingly.

PB had no answer; she simply stared at her, her eyes wide in shock. She didn't know what to say to the young princess. Her lips quivered, anything she said to the young princess wouldn't matter, because deep down inside, PB knew she had done the wrong thing. To take away a girl's childhood... to deprive her of the experience of growing up, and to even try and lock her back up again when she was finally free. What kind of monster would do that...?

"I'm sorry..." PB said. "There's not really much I can say... I guess it's all I've been able to say to anyone lately." The princess sat on the ground, the realization of what she had done to the young teenagers had hit her like a kick to the head. She didn't even want to explain herself, she deserved everything she received.

"I made a mistake, a huge mistake Flame Princess. You were too dangerous to be able to live a normal life... But that didn't give me the excuse to have your father lock you up. I understand if you don't want forgive me." PB said, a tear rolling down her face. The stress of the day had really gotten to her; it was rare for the tough candy princess to cry.

"I'm sure you would understand, my whole life has been taken away from me because of you." Flame Princess growled. Another moment of tension turned into silence.

PB didn't want to endure the Flame Princess' pleading stare. She got up, walked past Flame Princess and kneeled beside Finn.

What a brave fool Finn was. He must really love this girl to do something like this for her, he had suffered heavy burns and his skin was peeling away. She had to admit though, the plan Finn had come up with in so little time and under so much pressure impressed her. To use the mind-altering protection gems against the Lich, to undo his control over Flame Princess. It was brilliant. But... where exactly was the Lich?

"Flame Princess, what happened to the Lich during the flash?" PB asked, turning her head towards her.

"I don't know... His presence just left my body when Finn did something." Flame Princess replied, turning her head from PB's glance. Her forgiveness was definitely going to be a hard thing to acquire, especially with a stubborn fire elemental.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound could be heard, as PB turned her head to see a dark aura manifest itself into the physical form of the Lich. He looked weak, as he was clutching the side of his ribs, his body slightly leaning forward.

"This isn't over Princess, I assure you. I will harness that unstoppable force of power, and destroy all of Ooo!" The Lich cackled, before disappearing in a flurry of green flames.

"We'll be ready next time, Lich..." PB said.

**~ ... ~**

Finn woke up with a splitting headache, and a slight burning sensation around his entire body. He cringed in pain as he tried to move his head, as the back part of his neck ached in reply. He then remembered the events before he passed out. He had jumped into the dark flames of the Lich, in an attempt to split his control over the Flame Princess.

"Flame Princess!" he yelled out loud and raised his body up in shock. He cringed in pain again as the entire upper part of his body felt the full sting of the burning sensation. He fell back onto the soft cushion of his bed. His bed... He realized he was in his room, back at the Tree House. What had happened while he was out? Where was Flame Princess? What happened to the Candy Kingdom?

"You're awake brother, finally!" A familiar voice called.

Finn couldn't believe what he had just heard; he had to listen for the person to speak again before he could believe it.

"Hey Finn! You alright man? You look all spaced out." Jake said.

"J-Jake?" Finn asked.

"Well, who else bro?" The yellow dog replied.

"Jake!" Finn exclaimed in happiness, tears swelling up onto his eyes and making him cringe as they fell onto his burns. He tried not to move, knowing the consequences, but nonetheless turned his head to face his brother. How was he alive? Didn't PB say he disappeared in the explosion?

"I thought you we're dead man..." Finn said, tears still falling down his cheeks, caressing against his fragile burns.

"Me? Dead? Pleeease." Jake said with laughter. "I was thrown into that river after your girlfriend exploded!"

Finn's face flustered. "S-she's not my girlfriend!" He exclaimed embarrassed.

Jake giggled at Finn's reaction, and continued.

"I was knocked out and the river sent me way downstream. By the time I got out and followed the burning trail your girlfriend left to the Candy Kingdom, everything was already over. PB explained everything to me, so after she gave me some kind of treatment for your burns, I brought you here... Oh and..."

"I'm here too." Flame Princess finished as she flew up past the ladder, and changed herself into her physical form in front of Finn.

"I couldn't just leave you like this… It's my fault after all." Flame Princess said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Jake climbed down the ladder. "I'll give you two lovebirds some alone time..." Jake said with a grin.

Finn glared him down as he went down the ladder, and sighed with relief. He was so happy his brother wasn't dead, but almost wished he was at that moment. He exclaimed in shock as Flame Princess began rubbing something against his face. He tensed and blushed at her touch.

"I'm just putting your treatment on; I offered to do it when the Princess of the Candy Kingdom gave it to your dog." FP said.

Finn blushed and looked her in the eyes, she had such beautiful eyes. Every time she looked at him, he could swear she was staring right through his soul. "You don't have to... I've already put you through enough trouble." Finn said.

"It's the least I could do Finn, after all you've done for me." she said, dipping her hand onto the treatment and rubbing it against his face again. She had to repeat the process regularly, as the treatment would only last so long against her burning touch, being the only barrier against her and Finn's fragile burns.

"Anyway, there's no point in arguing. You can't move a muscle, so there's nothing you can do about it!" she teased, rubbing the smooth substance over his face.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged, and tried to push his body upwards, but received the massive burning sensation that made him cringe in pain once more, as he fell back onto the sheets.

She giggled at him, tilting her head forward as she moved closer. She pulled his hat off and began rubbing the treatment at the back of his neck.

He stared at her, she was so beautiful... How could anyone think she was evil? She was the most pure thing he had ever seen. She was passionate even, what could drive anyone to even dislike her? Other than her flaming exterior, Flame Princess was an amazing, beautiful person. He could tell just by one glance at her, the first time she fell into his arms.

She raised her head for a second to meet his stare. Their faces were now directly in front of each other's. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Finn fought through the pain to move his lips towards hers. She moved away at the last moment.

She wanted to feel his touch against her lips so badly, she wanted to feel his embrace against her body, she just wanted to be able to touch him so bad that she almost forgot what the princess had told her.

"W-what's wrong? Are you okay?" Finn asked.

"We can't..." Flame Princess said. Her eyes we're full of sorrow. "The princess told me something about myself... We have to be careful Finn."

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked.

"She said that if my emotions get too out of control, what happened at the river will happen again, only next time it'll be worse." She exclaimed, looking away from him. Tears were swelling up in her eyes.

"I..." Finn began.

"You need to get some rest anyway; the burns will only get worse if you keep moving around." She exclaimed, as she placed the treatment on the draw next to his bed.

"Call me if you need anything..." She said, before disappearing down the ladder.

**~ ... ~**

After a week of treatment, Finn was allowed to move around the house. Flame Princess had returned to his side twice a day to apply the treatment to his body. After a visit from Princess Bubblegum, she explained that it was okay for him to begin to move around. He still couldn't find it in himself to forgive Princess Bubblegum; after all, she had used him for so many years. Then once he decides to move on, she gets in the way of that too, almost causing a catastrophic disaster.

There had been many intimate moments between him and Flame Princess, always ending with her moving away at the last second. But they lessened as the week continued. She looked as if she were trying to avoid being around him as much as she could. Jake had made an improvised bed under the tree house from all the scraps they had in their stockpile of junk, and she had spent most of her time there, Jake had told him.

Finn still cringed a bit when he walked, but it was bearable. He made his way past all the scattered toys Beemo left around and pushed his way out the door, moving around the back of the tree house. The sunlight stung against his skin, and he lifted his hand up to protect his face against the relentless rays of the sun.

He moved around the corner into Flame Princess' new "room". It was in better condition then it used to be, the piles of random junk had been pushed against the walls of the room and her improvised bed was made of long, thick slate of tin, with a punch of assorted junk shaped to be a pillow. Since none of it could catch fire it was perfect for Flame Princess. It actually looked comfortable too, only Jake could make a bed made of metal that was actually bearable to lie on.

He could see Flame Princess sitting down, leaning against one of the large piles of junk. She was asleep, holding something white against her chest. It was his hat! He had completely forgotten about it the first time she pulled it off his head to spread the lotion around his neck. He walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"Flame Princess?" he said, waiting for a reaction.

She woke up, her sparkling eyes looking into his. She seemed to be entranced in his eyes until she came back to reality. She raised herself and looked at him with a serious expression on her face.

"What's wrong Finn?" she asked.

"Why are you down here? You know you can't walk out in the sun yet..." she scolded.

He looked away, blushing. "I just... had to see you..." he said.

Her expression changed, she was happy to see him, but she didn't want to... If them being together put the world in danger, who was she to be naïve and completely disregard the fact. She had to avoid him.

"Finn... we can't see each other, I told you. Once you're fine I'm leaving." she said with sorrow in her voice.

"FP... I understand, but you have to listen to me..." he said.

"Finn we just can't..." she said, tears swelling up in her eyes.

He grabbed her hand. His hand began burning in response, and he cringed.

"Finn stop!" she said pleadingly.

"Not until you listen to me." he said with a smile, the pain still showing on his face.

"Finn!" she exclaimed.

"You'll have to burn my hand off if you don't want to listen to me." he said grinning.

"Fine, but let go!" she said trying to tug his hand away from hers.

"FP, back at the river, I made you a promise. I promised you everything will turn out for the better..." he said, his hand still tightened around hers.

"And I'm bound by my hero code to fulfill all promises! You can trust me Flame Princess; I swear everything will turn out for the better..."

He let go of her hand, and yelped in pain. His hand had reddened and was burning just as much as it had a week ago.

"Finn..." she breathed, looking into his eyes.

"Sorry, I'm such a fool..." she said blushing, turning away from his gaze. "I was wrong to doubt you, again... It's just... I've been betrayed my entire life, so it's hard for me to trust again..."

"I'll find a way around this, I promise." he said smiling.

She stared into his eyes. She yearned for his touch, she wanted it, he wanted it. But they betrayed each other just by being themselves, if only there was a way around it. They could only sit there and stare into each other's eyes, feeling what the other was feeling just by sight. It was all they needed, at least for now.

"Well isn't this an adorable sight." A voice interrupted from the entrance.

He looked towards the sound, and noticed a tall floating girl, with long black raven hair drifting down her body. Her fangs stuck out in amusement as she grinned at the two lovebirds.

"Marceline!?" He exclaimed.

"'Sup weenie?"

**_~ End of Chapter 6 ~_**

**_Author's Notes:_** What kind of AT fanfic would it be without Marceline the Vampire Queen? So happy I get to introduce her into this fic!

Did you like the chapter? What should I improve? What would you want to see in the story? Leave it in your review!

I needed a lot of feedback on this chapter, chapters that only consist of sappy romance aren't really my thing, so review as much as you can! I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	7. To Hurt You

**_Author's Notes:_** It's been a really long day, I'm exhausted, and I decided I'd give you guys another chapter as a Christmas present ^_^. It's just hit midnight here so it might not be Christmas where everyone else is.

Happy Holidays (for those who don't celebrate Christmas) to everyone and a happy new year!

The next AT episode is only going to air next year, which sucks. Suffering from heavy AT withdrawal over here, someone help me out. Which reminds me; I also gotta wait for SCIK1012's epic fan fictions to update next year as well D=. Check them out after this chapter: '_Adventure Time: The Awakening of Heroes_!' and '_Tales of the Alternate Universe_'.

They are both Flinn fanfics, and I absolutely love how she portrays her storyline and equally challenges it with the amazing suspense she has in both of them, not to mention the lovely sappy romance scenes in both of them ;). She's such an amazing writer ^_^.

Enjoy the Chapter!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time, talking to you Pendleton Ward -.-!

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_To Hurt You_****, Chapter 7 -**

A person dressed in a baggy lab suit that made it look like an astronaut was hard at work in the Candy Kingdom's labs, rearranging multiple chemicals and bottles around while simultaneously rushing around the lab, mixing them with different formulas to create every type of reaction possible, before returning to the part of the lab that stood out from everything else; a giant tube-like glass connected to the floor and ceiling loomed in the middle of the lab, overshadowing all the little benches and tables that littered the room's floor. An orb that seemed to look like a ball of fire was floating in the middle of it; red strings of fire flinging against every side of the chamber, making specs of light shoot out in every direction of the shadowy lab, almost making it look like a disco.

The suit-covered person walked up to a tube that stuck out of the ground and opened the black cap on top of the strong plastic, carefully tilting a red chemical over the top of it, gently placing one drop of the chemical and quickly closing the cap before the red strings of fire sparked out to ignite every flammable thing possible. The red drop slowly slid down the slope until it was snatched up by the fiery orb's gravitational pull, mixing into it. The orb slowly became a darker red, the reaction causing it to react violently. Darker red strings sparked in every direction of the massive test chamber, before the scientist pushed multiple buttons on the bench panel, stopping the reaction.

The scientist pulled the plastic panel of its astronaut hat off to reveal a pink candy princess' face drenched in sweat. She wiped her hand across her forehead, a look of determination still in her eyes.

"I'll make it up to them." she said softly.

**~ ... ~**

Finn and Flame Princess' face darkened red, as Marceline the Vampire Queen floated in nonchalantly, resting the back of her head against her palms while her body moved in horizontal swerve patterns through the air. She was dressed in her usual tank top and jeans, while she wore a large sun hat that covered her entire body in a thick shadow to protect her from the harmful rays of the sun.

"Who's this?" Flame Princess asked sternly, unhappy about their moment ending.

"This is Marceline, the Vampire Queen; she's a good friend of mine and a radical dame." he said turning to her with a smile, then turning back to Marceline. "Oh, and this is Flame Princess, Marcy."

Marceline continued floating around the room nonchalantly, before swerving around the two young teenagers. "She's hot Finn, congrats." She said laughing, noticing the blush on their cheeks.

"Why are you here?" Finn asked, wanting to change the subject before Marceline continued teasing.

"Oh, just hangin' around, heard about what happened last week with hot stuff over here, thought I'd drop in to see if you're doing alright." She said before grinning at Flame Princess, Finn could only imagine what she was thinking.

"I dropped by the Candy Kingdom to prank ol' Bonni, but she's working on some science junk in her lab. She said it had something to do with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Finn exclaimed embarrassed. Flame Princess almost looked hurt before she smiled, noticing the blush on his cheeks.

"So you're a vampire?" Flame Princess asked, wanting to save Finn from Marceline's relentless teasing.

"Yeah, what do you think I have these fangs for, and why I can do this?" Marceline said, before morphing her face into a wolf-like figure and looming over the top of the Flame Princess in an attempt to frighten her. After she turned back into herself, Marceline noticed the girl giggling.

"That's really good! Let me try!" Flame Princess said clapping, before turning her face into her fiery-beast form, making Finn stumble a bit back from her. The calming, flickering burning sound that normally radiated off the Flame Princess turned into a rushing sizzling sound, followed by laughter from Marceline as she fell onto her back after Flame Princess turned back into her normal figure.

"Your girl's not bad Finn, unlike all the other royal snobs of this land." Marceline said before grabbing her fallen hat off the ground, turning around and placing it on her head.

She glanced back at them. "I'll check back in a sec, I'ma go prank Jake." she laughed before flying out and over the entrance.

Finn turned back to FP, and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, sorry about that, Marceline likes to mess with people's brains and junk." he said.

Flame Princess smiled at him. "It's fine, she's looks friendly." FP said.

"Y-you don't think she's a monster?" Finn asked, people don't normally take a liking to Marceline, who pushes everyone away with pranks and smart comments, so it was a bit confusing that Flame Princess just met her and didn't judge her right away.

"Yeah, why would I think that?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Wow, you're amazing." He cursed himself in his mind realizing what he just burst out.

She giggled at his reaction. "Thanks Finn."

She wanted to at least give him a nice peck on the cheek, but the fact that she would destroy the world doing it kept racing back at her. If only there was some way around it. He had promised her that he would find a way, so she was going to put all her trust in the young bear-capped teenager. But her longing for his touch was too great, and she placed her hand on his.

He jumped in shock at the burning sensation, letting out an 'ow!'.

"Sorry Finn!" she said trying to take her hand off his.

"No it's okay!" Finn said quickly cupping her hand in between both of his. He looked up and smiled at her, but she didn't return it.

She only had a sorrowful look in her eyes, which always made Finn's expression change to the same. His expression always changed with hers, as if he was feeling what she was feeling. It made him want to return that sparkling light in her eyes, instead of the dark sorrow that loomed underneath it.

"Hey it's okay... I promised you, didn't I?" Finn asked, waiting for an answer, pain showing on his face. She nodded at him reluctantly before he continued. "I said I'd find a way, but until then, I can take it." he said smiling.

"I just... don't want to hurt you." she blushed.

Their eyes interlocked once again, that same feeling returning for both of them, but once again it didn't last long, as a girlish scream could be heard from upstairs.

"Guess Marceline found Jake." Finn giggled.

Flame Princess giggled with him, as they made their way together outside and back inside the tree house, only to find a frantic Jake shivering on the floor, while Marceline floated above laughing hysterically.

"No man should ever have to see something like that in their lifetime." Jake said shivering, only leading to the whole room bursting into laughter.

In the midst of all of this, no one noticed the massive ball of fire hurling towards the Tree Fort at tremendous speeds.

**~ ... ~**

"How dare he take my daughter away from me!?" the Flame King thought as he flew at extreme speeds towards the fake prince's home.

He would normally be plated in thick copper armor, with a gem similar to the one on the Flame Princess' forehead; it was a mark of the Fire Kingdom's royalty. But as he flew he turned into his pure fire form, a raging colossal mass of relentless flames that had only one goal in mind; destroy the scum who acted as royalty only to court his daughter.

The Flame King had accepted the young human's request to court his daughter with the thought that he was evil, only to find out a week later by the buffoon of Flambo that he wasn't even royalty, and to top it all off, he was a hero! He took it upon himself to pay a visit to this fool himself, before he does something stupid like screw around with his daughter's elemental matrix. The years his daughter had been in that lamp had almost drove the Flame King insane with guilt, making him occasionally turn hostile and evil to anyone who dare oppose him.

Now, he was driven by unreasoning, making him stupid enough to forget his daughter's condition and release her. He mentally beat himself up at the fact that he let a buffoon trick him so easily.

Soon he was going to collide with the Tree Fort, destroy the pathetic human's existence and take his daughter back to where she belongs; imprisonment.

**~ ... ~**

As the massive hurdling fire got close, the group could feel the room getting brighter.

"What's going on?" Marceline said, before turning into her bat form and hiding under the couch to avoid the blinding rays that came out of the window as Jake opened the curtains.

"Oh my glob!" Jake exclaimed as he gestured hurriedly for Finn to come over.

Finn looked at the window to see a giant mass of fire hurling towards them at tremendous speeds.

"Everyone get down _now!_" Finn yelled as he rushed back, dragging Jake along with him. He gripped Flame Princess's hand and pulled them both down to the ground.

"Hey!" Flame Princess exclaimed confused, but before she could say another word a massive explosion ripped apart the front of the Tree Fort, sending the group flying backwards against the wall. A massive flurry of flames burst through the windows and tore open the roof above them. After the explosion, a colossal figure of fire could be seen looming over the top of the half-destroyed tree house.

Marceline could be heard exclaiming in shock as she tried to move out from under the still-standing couch as she burnt her hand in the rays of the sun. "What's going on out there guys!? What the glob just happened!?" she asked frantically.

Finn got up, pulling Flame Princess up with him. He winced at the burning sensation before letting her hand go. He turned to find the Flame King looming over the top of the tree house.

"Flame King..." Finn exclaimed.

"Daddy!? What are you doing here!?" Flame Princess asked.

The Flame King let out a deep laughter before speaking to his daughter. "Why, I'm here to kill this buffoon and take you back to the Flame Kingdom!" his deep, loud voice echoed throughout the entire valley.

"There's no way I'm gonna let that happen Flame King!" Finn said drawing his sword, standing in front of Flame Princess.

"Then I'll make this quick, buffoon!" Flame King said, sending waves of fire out of his hands down onto the human boy below. Finn jumped up and over the flames, smashing his body against the Flame King's copper armor. He knocked them both down, hurling towards the landscape behind the Tree Fort.

"Finn!" Flame Princess yelled as Jake stretched down to catch Finn, before they landed safely on the ground, Flame Princess followed shortly after, as they faced the massive fire elemental.

"Dad, I'm not going back with you!" Flame Princess yelled, conjuring fire balls around her hands.

"I wasn't planning on giving you a choice my dear, it's for your own good." Flame King said, looking at her. It was the only time they had talked since he locked her up in the lamp all those years ago. Being a fire elemental, his emotions were almost always blinded by unreasoning and rage, so he couldn't see past his own choice to see the struggle within his daughter's heart. Ever since that one day where he had locked her up, his emotions remained locked deep inside of him.

Red specks of fire burst out from the tree house as it ignited into a blaze. Marceline could be heard screaming for help inside as the blazes spread. "I'll go help Marceline; you take care of the Flame King!" Jake said to Finn as he stretched up and into the tree house.

The Flame King had already begun charging at Finn, the flames around him raging around him rapidly, giving Finn no area to dodge; it would be over in a second.

Suddenly, Flame Princess stepped in front of Finn, creating a vortex of fire in front of her. "You're not hurting Finn dad, I like him... a lot..." She said blushing.

The Flame King reeled back, looking at his daughter with disgust.

"I didn't want to do this my daughter, but you leave me no choice." The Flame King said, before he simply pointed his finger forward. Flame Princess fell to the ground, clutching at the gem on her forehead. It started glowing a bright red, pulsing rapidly.

"You didn't think these gems were just for show, do you?" He said, pointing at the gem on his chest. "They have been used to subdue our royal bloodline for years, being fire elementals we must take precaution with our destructive nature."

Finn ran up to her, placing his hand over her shoulder, ignoring the pain. "Flame Princess! Are you okay!?" he asked; his burns stinging from the intense heat of the sun, not to mention the colossal fire elemental in front of him.

"Get away from my daughter, buffoon." the Flame King said, as he sent him flying with the swipe of his hand. The Flame King grabbed Flame Princess, before turning his head towards the tiny human.

"I'll deal with you later." Flame King said, before changing into his pure fire form, rushing off in the direction of the Fire Kingdom.

_"Flame Princess…."_ Finn spoke softly, he had lost her again.

**_~ End of Chapter 7 ~_**

**_Author's Notes:_** Did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone next chapter!


	8. Infiltration

**_Author's Notes:_** You guys are awesome! 50 reviews! Thank you to everyone who has even taken the time to read and review this fanfic, it really means a lot to me. A special thanks in particular to: _StrikerXE_, _SCIK2012_, _Harvest-Mooniac_, _Chuvulam_ and _purpledragon6_ for following and reviewing this fanfic for a while now ^_^.

Whenever I get a review I jump out of my seat in excitement, it means a lot to me that people actually appreciate the stuff I write, which I rarely do in my everyday life.

I really can't pinpoint Flambo's Bronx or whatever accent, so sorry if I get it wrong guys, haha.

Enjoy the chapter, and keep being awesome!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time *shots Pen a death glare*.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Infiltration,_**** Chapter 8 -**

Finn dragged himself along the ground, his burnt skin raging with pain under the glaring rays of the sun. He couldn't move, the burst of energy he had earlier was only to protect the thing that was now lost to him; again. He could only watch as the ball of fire disappeared into the trees, heading towards the Fire Kingdom.

He lifted himself off the ground, turning around to find the tree house on fire. Jake had gone in a second ago to rescue Marceline, what could he do to help? He was useless in his current condition, and he hated it. The feeling of not being able to do a damn thing irritated him. He waited for the screeching cry of pain that would come from Marceline and Jake, burning under the debris of the tree house, there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly a yellow fist smashed through the side of the tree house, it was Jake flinging himself out of the house, desperately trying to escape the rushing blaze behind him. Finn ran forward to catch him and fell back as the yellow dog tumbled on top of him.

"Where's Marceline!?" he asked as the yellow dog raised himself off the boy.

"She's fine." he exclaimed as he opened his stretched palm, revealing the vampire girl inside. Still covering her with his massive palm, he pulled out her sun sat from his other hand, placing it on Marceline's head.

"I saved this when I came out, thought you might need it." Jake said.

Marceline shook her head, she looked dazed. She opened her eyes and raised herself up from her curled-ball position, and looked at the two confused.

"What just happened?" She asked.

"Flame King attacked the tree house and took Flame Princess." Finn said, than looked at Jake. "We have to save her! He's gonna lock her up again!" he said, before turning around to run. The rapid movements punished him by reminding him of his burns, and he fell over with a thud, raising his arms of his face to protect him from the sun's rays.

Marceline laughed at him. "You never learn, do ya weenie?" she teased.

He glared back at her angrily. "We're stuck in the same boat Marceline; don't forget you can't walk in the sun either." he said.

Marceline looked hurt at the comment. He quickly regretted his outburst and cursed himself mentally. All this stress was getting to him; he just had to get Flame Princess back again. Every time she left him it was like a part of him was torn from his chest.

"Sorry Marcy." he said, regretting his comment.

"Don't sweat it weenie, I'll get you later." she said menacingly.

"Uh guys, what are we gonna do about the tree house?" Jake interrupted said pointing at their blazing home.

"Oh my glob! The tree house!" Finn exclaimed as he got up off the ground. "What do we do?!"

"Not much we can do man, we gotta get you out of this sun anyway." Jake said as he grabbed Finn. "Can we stay at yours Marceline?" Jake asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. You sure you can handle..." Marceline began, her pupils turned red, her face grew larger and her teeth sprouted out in different directions. "...this, Jake!?"

"You're one creepy lady; I ain't fallin' for it this time." Jake said.

"Yeah sure, you can crash at my place."

**~ … ~**

After a long ride on Jake's back, they eventually made it to Marceline's house. Finn kept protesting to chase down the Flame King, but Jake argued that his burns would only make a trip to the Fire Kingdom easily fatal. All the while Marceline laughed at the two arguing, floating around them nonchalantly.

"But Jake! I gotta save FP!" Finn pleaded as Jake shoved him inside Marceline's door.

"You're pretty much a vampire to the sun right now Finn, you can't go outside." Marceline commented as she floated into the room.

"Aw man..." Finn moaned as he lay on the floor.

"Her father's not going to do anything to her, just lock her up in that lamp again. We'll go rescue her once its night time, then we can go get Flambo." Jake said.

"Why Flambo?" Finn asked.

"He helped me get into the Fire Kingdom the first time; we can't get in without his Flame Shield spell." Jake explained, messing around with his stretchy powers, morphing his body around into different shapes. "Come on Finn; forget about this for today, we'll get there tomorrow."

Finn looked down in thought for a second. He didn't want Flame Princess to suffer anymore then she already had in that lamp. She explained to him over the week the torture it was to stay in that lamp for countless years, she hadn't even known her own age until she was released from the lamp. She had lost all the information she needed growing up, which is why she acted so hostile towards Finn. She just didn't want to be betrayed again.

Now she's going to be locked away again by her father, Finn couldn't stand it. She's just going to suffer that pain all over again. He couldn't sit by and wait for nightfall, he had to go. But Jake and Marceline weren't going to let him.

"Where can I find Flambo?" Finn asked.

**~ ... ~**

She struggled against her father's mighty grip, smacking against the back of his copper armor. She tried morphing her body into flames, but every time she tried the gem on her forehead would react violently and her body would begin to fade in color.

To think that the last gift she had ever received from her mother, the gem that she had cherished her entire life, the only thing that reminded her of her past, was only a way to control her. No one had ever loved her, not even her mother. She had been hated and feared her entire life, locked away in that horrible lamp. No one would even take a second glance at the Flame Princess without thinking she was monster. No one understood her pain, and it was only for her to be locked up in that lamp, where no one would ever fear her again.

She stopped struggling, and accepted her fate. There was really nothing she could do. They had reached the Fire Kingdom now, her father making his way into the Throne Room. She was going to be locked up soon, sealed away in that lamp forever. At least she got to make friends before her life ended, have a taste of what freedom is. At least she got to meet Finn.

As her father gestured for the lamp to be lowered, memories of Finn rushed back into her mind; the only person who had ever looked her in a different way, the only person who saw her as something else other than a monster. Her father raised her into the lamp, and locked the hatch. She placed her palms against the glass, staring at the entrance of the castle.

She wouldn't move from that spot until Finn came.

**~ ... ~**

Finn struggled against the rays of the sun, he had taken Marceline's massive sun hat to cover himself, it was helping, but it wasn't covering him completely. The sun blistered his skin at the legs, making it difficult for him to walk. Every step he took, a burning sensation would run up his legs. But saving Flame Princess was worth the pain.

He had snuck out of the house while they were in the kitchen; he had waited for the right moment for an hour before he could escape. He would apologize later to Marceline and Jake; they would probably be worried sick when they realize he's gone.

As he made his way up on the Fire Kingdom, he remembered Jake told him that Flambo should be somewhere nearby. He slowed his pace and walked cautiously into the entrance; it was somewhat like a cave. As he entered he noticed the red archway that marked the entrance of the Fire Kingdom, circling around the cave's walls and up above the roof. He walked further as the cave grew wider, eventually ending in a large opening. He walked towards it and gaped at the view in front of him.

Fire and lava littered the view, everything seemed to be either burning or made of solid black rock, and flame creatures could be seen patrolling the borders, ever vigilant to intruders. Finn wasn't sure how he was going to get past all of them, and the heat radiating in the air was already making his burns react.

"Finn?" a voice called from in front of him.

Finn looked around, the voice sounded familiar. But couldn't see anyone near him, he rubbed the back of his head in confusion.

"Finn! Down 'ere buddy!" said the voice.

Finn looked down to see a little Flambit wedged into a crack in the ground, his beady eyes staring at him. It was Flambo!

"Aye, whaddya doin' here Finn? Yous are sore topic in the kingdom nowadays, ever since your dog paid a visit." Flambo said, jumping out of the crack and standing in front of Finn.

"I need you to cast that Flame Shield spell on me Flambo, there's no time." Finn said hurriedly.

"Hey hey, hold it right there buddy. Last time yous friend came in here, he caused all kind of trouble for me. Flame King kept pesterin' me on who you werez, and now I'm stuck here on guard duty!" Flambo exclaimed in his Bronx accent.

"I just have to get into the Fire Kingdom!" Finn pleaded.

Flambo looked at him, and a grin caught his face.

"This wouldn't have to do with Flame Princess being hauled past here by the Flame King, would it?" He asked, turning his head and rubbing his fingers together as if expecting a payment.

Finn glared at him, before reaching in his pocket and tossing out a piece of charcoal. Flambo caught it and inspected it for a second, before looking back towards Finn.

"Hmm, I like your game kid, here you go." said the flambit before he raised his hands, stretching out his palms and moving them around in patterns.

He began to speak in a weird language, rune symbols appearing out of his hands before he lifted his arms toward Finn's forehead. He smacked his palms against his skin, enveloping him in a blue aura. His body was now a shaded blue, and he couldn't feel the heat touching his body. His burns now meant nothing, and he was free to move around without the burden of their pain.

"Thanks Flambo, now all I have to do is sneak past all these giant fire creatures." Finn said with a sigh as he made his way into the kingdom.

It was no easy task to avoid the detection of the many guards patrolling the castle, he had to sneak behind rocks and under ledges, but he eventually made his way to the walls of the castle, he could see guards moving in and out of the building; something important was happening.

He looked up to see an opening in the castle's walls; this would be his infiltration point.

He jumped up and grabbed onto the edge of the window, lifting himself up through the triangle-shaped opening. He dragged his body in and fell over headfirst onto the rugged floor. Looking around he noticed he was in a bedroom. There was a large bed in the center that looked like it was made for a giant.

It was obviously a room made for royals, as there were jewels and pictures all across the walls, a red carpet stretching from the door to the bed. It was probably the Flame King's room. He noticed a book with the same gem Flame Princess had on her head engraved into the center, it lied against the wall on top of a drawer. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was labeled 'Flame Queen's Diary.'

He really didn't want to be snooping through Flame Princess' mother's possessions, seeing as she had passed away as Flame Princess had told him. Finn had asked how, and she had shrugged it off angrily. It seemed like hostile territory for her, so he didn't ask any further. Nonetheless he was curious, and opened the diary. It had only one entry, it seemed as if it was written in a hurry. He looked at the title; "To my dear Flame Princess:"

He read on, and was shocked at what he was seeing. He quickly closed it, and ran out the door. Flame Princess would definitely want to see what was inside.

He ran through the empty corridors, there wasn't a single creature in sight. He could hear commotion coming from nearby, he ran left through a door, and found himself standing atop an open balcony, overlooking a massive gathering of people. The Flame King was sitting on his throne, looking at the ceiling, his chin leaning against his closed fist. And atop the massive gathering, inside a glass lantern, was Flame Princess.

**~ ... ~**

Her father had called the kingdom to the Throne Room to celebrate her return; the one thing she didn't want right now was the kingdom's eyes gaping at her, that look of sorrow and disgust littered on all of their faces. None of them understood her pain; they looked at her as a symbol, something to represent the Fire Kingdom's majestic beauty. That was her father's excuse to lock her up, saying it was a custom of old times, it was all a lie to keep her destructive power contained. She looked down to her father, who was addressing the many guests by now instead of staring at her. He had the entire room's attention, as he made his speech.

Suddenly she felt something tap against her shoulder; she looked up, and saw a bear-capped boy shaded in blue, leaning down through the opening at the top of the lamp.

"Finn!" she exclaimed. He put his finger to his mouth, signaling for her to remain quite.

She nodded, as he gestured for her to grab his hand. She hesitated, and he gestured more urgently this time. She didn't want to burn him, but grabbed his hand nonetheless. She didn't feel the sizzling of his skin, or any cry of pain. She looked at him confused, and received a smile in reply. He lifted her up with little effort, raising her into his arms bridal style.

"You ready?" Finn asked with his trademark goofy grin.

"Ready." Flame Princess replied returning his grin.

She was so happy, he had come back to save her, to free her from the torture of being imprisoned again. She had sat there thinking of the horrible years that were to come, staying in that horrible space through the years, with only the sounds of her mind to comfort her. The disgusted stares of the Fire Kingdom's citizens as they passed by her were all that was going to happen, she had thought. But Finn had saved her from that horrible reality, lifting her into his arms. She held onto him tight, pressing her head against his chest.

Grabbing one rope that held the lantern in place, and his sword in the other, Finn cut the bottom of the rope, releasing the lantern and sending them swinging across the room.

"Adventure Time!" Finn yelled as the lantern smashed onto the stairs, propelling it down into the group of people. The crowd exclaimed in shock as they dived to the side. The lantern passed through the carpet and smashed through the entrance. Flame Princess held tight onto Finn as he released his grip on the rope, making them propel through the door.

The shocked exclamations of the fire elementals inside the room could be heard as Finn and Flame Princess ran in the opposite direction of the castle. They ran past many confused flame guards, hand in hand running through the chaotic fields of the Fire Kingdom.

She still didn't know why she wasn't burning him, but she couldn't complain. She tightened her grip around his hand.

**~ ... ~**

They had reached the exit of the Fire Kingdom, atop the massive cliff overlooking the lava fields. Flame Princess began to speak, but Finn stopped her.

"I have a present for you FP; I found it while I was searching for you." Finn said as he pulled the diary out of his backpack, handing it to Flame Princess.

She looked at the title, and tears swelled up in her eyes. It was her mother's diary. She was the one who killed her mother, what right did she have to read through her diary?

"I can't, Finn..." she said as she tried to hand the dairy back to Finn.

"Just open it!" he said.

She hesitated, opened the book, and read what was inside.

**_~ ... ~_**

_~ To my Dear Flame Princess: ~_

_I know it's hard for you in this locked up world,_

_your father's ignorant to his little girl._

_I know that people look down on you,_

_they make you feel uncomfortable,_

_their stares making you feel like you don't belong in this world._

_I know you think that you're a monster,_

_that you're a destructive force of nature,_

_but I know it's not true._

_Tough times lie ahead,_

_and I'm not sure if I can be there to help you,_

_but know that your mother loves you._

_Your father is ignorant but he does too,_

_and I only hope he does what's best for you._

_After she finished writing her poem, the Flame Queen turned around to face the guest behind her._

_"So we have an agreement?" The pink candy woman said._

_The Flame Queen nodded reluctantly, and sighed._

_"Yes, within the year, we will find a way to stop Flame Princess' condition." The Flame Queen said._

_"Good, because if you don't..." The candy woman said, walking out the door._

_"I will."_

___**~ ... ~**_

Flame Princess finished reading the poem, tears falling from her eyes. She looked up to Finn, and threw herself onto to him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Finn..." she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Her mother had really loved her after all.

**~ ... ~**

**_Author's Notes:_** Yes, I know the poem sucked and was a little repetitive. I gave it a go anyway though.

I think this is my longest chapter so far as well!

What did you think about this chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see you everyone on the next chapter!


	9. Truth

**_Author's Notes:_** Happy New Year to everyone, hope you had a good whatever you done for the occasion ^_^.

Apparently on the 7th, the episode "Jake the Dad" will come out, and the name pretty much hints his puppies will be born! Can't wait :3!

Some people have been questioning the time-line in the flashbacks, just saying it'll all be explained soon enough.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time t(-_-t).

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Truth,_**** Chapter 9 -**

Flame Princess pulled away from Finn's body reluctantly and noticed once again the blue shroud covering him.

"Why are you blue?" she asked confused.

He looked at her with a confused look on his face, as if he didn't know what she was talking about for a second, then exclaimed with a light giggle when he realized that he was still blue.

"A little flambit cast Flame Shield on me, it turns me blue." he explained

She suddenly remembered what her father had told her those years ago, how outsiders needed Flame Shield to enter their kingdom. She had almost forgotten about it.

She looked down to the diary in her hands; it had a black cover made out of thin black rock, and a gem embedded in the middle, the symbol of their royal family. Her mother had written it in a hurry, as if she was in danger. What had made her mother so sure of her demise? How did she know that her own daughter would kill her unknowingly?

The thought of it brought tears to her eyes, she couldn't handle the memory, she had pushed it away her entire life. It was the single scar in her memory that made her label herself a monster as many others had done.

Finn walked up to her, and placed his hand on her cheek. He moved his forehead onto hers, and looked at her face to face.

"I'm still immune to fire for a bit." he said with a smile on his face.

She returned his smile, she felt safe now that Finn was here.

Suddenly a thundering crash tore the two apart; rock and debris flew everywhere, tearing apart the cliff side overlooking the Fire Kingdom. Smoke littered their view, as a fiery figure loomed over the top of the haze.

Finn smashed against the wall and fell to the ground. His head rattled against the thick rock, his vision blurred and his head felt like splitting in two. He struggled to raise himself off the ground, and looked at the looming figure high above him.

"Buffoon! You will pay for this!" a voice roared as a fiery figure flew up, clearing the smoke to reveal a very, very mad Flame King.

"Flame King! Leave us alone!" Finn struggled to yell as his head ached horribly, he stumbled to the side and leaned on a nearby rock.

Finn could barely see the Flame King raise his arm, conjuring a massive fireball in his palms. The heat radiating off it made him flinch back and raise his hand above his face.

_Heat._

Finn looked at his hand; it was no longer shaded blue, the flame shield had run out. He closed his eyes and readied for the intense wave of fire that was about to wash over him, finishing his fragile body off.

He flinched for a second, and opened his eyes. Flame Princess was standing in front of him; specks of flames littered the ground around them as they quickly dispersed with nothing to burn.

"I'll handle this Finn." she said confidently.

He looked at her from behind; she smiled at him and looked back towards her father. What was she going to do?

"Stand aside daughter, your punishment for this treason will come in due time." the Flame King growled, visibly annoyed.

Flame Princess replied by simply looking at him, a confident look in her eyes. She raised the diary in front of her, showing it to him. The Flame King exclaimed in shock as he noticed what it was.

"W-where did you get that?" he stammered.

"What really happened to my mother?" Flame Princess said with command in her voice.

It must have struck a nerve in the Flame King, who stumbled back from the question. A discerning look fell onto his face.

"What do you mean?" he said, trying to compose himself.

Flame Princess began to walk over to him, her head faced down. The world seemed to go silent, her slow footsteps pacing the ground being the only sound they could hear. The Flame King seemed to stand still as she approached him and looked up towards his face.

"Tell me what happened to my mother!" she commanded.

"I told y-" he began.

"I don't want to hear your lies!" she yelled as her face exploded into fire for split second, before she composed herself into her normal form.

She took a deep breath, than sighed. She wanted to test her father's reactions to confirm her suspicions, and she was successful. Her father had told her as a little girl what happened to her mother; that she was killed by her own daughter during a tantrum. He had lied to the entire kingdom, to her.

"What happened." she ended as a tear fell down her face.

The Flame King looked at her, and sighed. The slightest bit of emotion showed off the stern fire elemental, before he regained his posture and looked at her.

"If you must know, you are not the reason for her demise." he said flatly.

She breathed an exclamation of shock, happiness and sadness swelled up in her eyes at the same time, she had been miserable her whole life because of his lie. She had doubted herself so much, called herself a monster, "_And for what!?_" she thought, her expression changing to anger.

"What did you do to my mother!?" she yelled as she ran over to him, her anger flaring around her.

Suddenly she groaned in pain and clutched at the gem on her forehead. She dropped to her knees as the pain intensified. She tried to morph into fire, but screamed in pain as the gem subdued her to the ground.

"That's enough." the Flame King said, his palm outstretched towards Flame Princess.

He began to move towards Finn who was down on his knees, still dazed and half-conscious from the impact. He walked past the curled up Flame Princess, moving towards Finn. He stumbled around as he tried to move away from the Flame King.

He grabbed Finn by the throat, and smashed his body against the wall. His neck sizzled against the flaming grip of the Flame King, who exclaimed in triumph as he moved his other hand forward, conjuring a ball of fire directly in Finn's face.

"It's over fool." the Flame King said sternly.

Flame Princess grabbed at the edge of the gem, and began pulling at its foundations. She pulled with all her strength, the gem began to release and she tore it apart from her forehead, her hair fell down to her waist and red sparks of fire flew in all directions.

She heated up drastically as she looked angrily at her father, who exclaimed in shock as a massive body of fire sent him flying against the cave wall. He smashed against it and his copper armor disintegrated as he ascended into his pure fire form. He looked to see his daughter free from the binds of the gem. Her body swirled towards her father in a vortex of flames. She swirled around his pure fire form, sending him into a swirl as she screamed angrily, consumed by anger. He exclaimed in shock as her fires consumed his completely.

**~ ... ~**

Deep in her consciousness the voices had begun mocking her again, jeering at her as anger continued to build.

_"He betrayed us..." "He deserves it..." "Kill him..." "Kill!"_ they mocked.

She curled up into a ball amidst her swirling vortex of rage, the consciousness had taken over again; it was going to hurt everyone like it hurt Finn last time, it had almost killed everyone. But this time she was going to kill her own people, she couldn't resist it; the rage had completely consumed her and there was no stopping it.

"Stop..." she pleaded.

Cackles and laughter could be heard every time she pleaded, only followed by more breaths of mockery, whispering horrible things into her ears.

**~ ... ~**

Finn's mind cleared, as the stinging pain around his throat made him clench it in pain. He breathed rapidly, trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. He felt an intense heat fly past him and he stumbled back to see the Flame Princess' fiery mass swirling around the Flame King's own, subduing his flames. She intended to suck the oxygen away from him, to end his life. As long as she kept swirling around him he would die.

Finn ran behind a large rock for cover. He noticed the small pellets falling from the ceiling, and felt rumbling underneath him. He exclaimed in shock as a massive chunk of rock fell from the ceiling, almost smashing on top of him before he could jump out of the way. The whole inner part of the cave was shaking and rocks started falling from the ceiling.

He looked towards Flame Princess, who was still raging around her father. He ran over to her desperately.

"Flame Princess! You have to stop this now!" he yelled, receiving no reply.

"Flame Princess?" he exclaimed confused.

He looked into her eyes, they weren't normal, something was wrong. She wasn't herself. He thought back to the event at the river, where Flame Princess grew completely out of control all of a sudden, that look she had in her eyes. Her eyes were glinting that same dark red like before; she was going to explode if she didn't stop!

He ran over to her and desperately grabbed her hand amidst the swirling vortex of fire, tugging at her. The flames swirled around his body and sizzled against his skin. His burns didn't help as he cringed in pain. He pulled her back with all his strength. As she gave way he fell back with shock, and pulled her back onto him.

"Flame Princess?" he said, looking into her eyes, which were completely interlocked between each other.

He received an angry snarl in reply, as she pulled away from him. Her body ignited the area around her and made him fall back. He struggled to breathe as the flames circled around him, the raging form of Flame Princess swirling around him.

He grabbed her hand even tighter this time.

"Flame Princess, please! This isn't you!" he said as the flames burnt against his skin.

Her body stopped tensing, and she looked back into his eyes, the vortex ceasing.

"Finn..." she breathed as the red began to fade from her eyes. Tears swelled up in them as she fell onto him.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, her head leaning on his shoulder.

He lifted her off him, and then looked into her eyes. She smiled at him, before falling back into thought, she was still dazed.

He nodded at her, smiling intently. "We have to get out of here, the whole place is coming down!" he explained.

She stared at him blankly for a second, than shook her head rapidly.

"Come on!" he yelled tugging at her arm.

"Sorry, let's go." she said, still dazed by the experience.

She looked back for a second towards her father, who lay on the ground dazed and wounded. His body was a light-blue and he seemed smaller than usual. A faint laugh could be heard from him.

"Go to the Princess of the Candy Kingdom if you want answers, my _daughter_." he said the last part sternly, than fell into unconsciousness.

She exclaimed in shock at his sentence, Princess Bubblegum was keeping _more_ secrets?

Finn gave Flame Princess' arm one last pull, and she reluctantly followed him.

Finn ran through the falling rocks, holding tight onto her hand no matter how much pain it caused him. Nothing was going to separate them again, whether it be an angry father or a bunch of falling rocks, he wasn't letting them drift apart again. Rocks and debris fell from the ceiling; they sidestepped, jumped and dodged the falling rocks as they hurried towards the exit. Light could be seen flowing from the outside as they got closer to the end of the cave.

Finn heard a loud crash, followed by a massive tumbling sound. He turned around to see a massive avalanche of rocks rushing through the cave, heading towards them at extreme speeds.

"We have to hurry!" Finn yelled, trying to be louder than the massive rumbling sound.

He tugged at her hand, and they sprinted as fast as they could to the exit. The light was really close now, and they could see the outside. The tumbling rocks were only a foot behind them, gaining speed and losing the small distance between them. Finn gave himself one last mighty push off the ground as he launched out of the cave, still holding Flame Princess' hand as they shot out into the opening, tumbling down the slope of the hill outside.

A massive crash could be heard as the cave's entrance caved in. Finn and Flame Princess landed down the bottom of the hill, sliding down out under the thick shades of the trees.

After a minute of lying down exhausted, struggling for breath, Finn raised himself off the ground. He exclaimed in shock for a second as he looked around rapidly and sighed with relief when he seen Flame Princess lying down, her eyes open looking into the sky.

She was told her entire life that she was a monster for what she had done; only to learn it was a lie. Finn couldn't comprehend the amount of turmoil she was feeling right now. She needed reassurance, he thought for a second.

He leaned over to her, and whispered in her ear.

"You're not a monster." he whispered.

She turned to him, shocked by the sudden sentence. She was confused for a second, and understood his meaning. He knew what she was thinking, just by looking at her. She looked at him, an almost angry expression on her face.

"How do you know? Just look at what I did back there Finn, I almost killed you! How can you tell me I'm not a monster after what I've done! All I do is hurt people!" she yelled.

He looked at her reassuringly, and then stumbled to speak.

"Because I..." he stammered.

"Because _what?!_" she yelled.

"Because..." he couldn't find it in himself to say the next words.

She paused for a moment, what was he trying to say? He didn't continue and she let out a _'hmph!'_

"That's what I thought." she said before getting up and walking away.

She thought he was going to stop her, reassure her, but he just stayed silent! He didn't say anything! She walked away from him aimlessly, before she felt his hand pulling her own, pulling her into him.

She fell into his arms, as her chin rested against his shoulder. She slowly melted into his embrace.

"Because I love you." he whispered.

**_- End of Chapter 9 -_**

**_Author's Notes:_** Wooo! I finally got him to say it x)! Felt good to write that.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on next chapter!


	10. Storm

**_Author's Notes:_** I'm thinking about starting a real-world Adventure Time fanfic, weirdly enough I was tired after 5 hours of writing this chapter, so I went to sleep and the plot came to me in a dream. Turns out, the plot is amazing and I really want to put it on paper.

Sounds weird, yeah I know.

Enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time... yet.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Storm,_**** Chapter 10 -**

Princess Bubblegum jotted down a bunch of notes before placing them gently on a desk. She had been hard at work for a week straight, she had barely gotten any sleep and it was starting to show; her eyes looked devoid from life and had dark rings under her eyes, and her hair was messy and knotted around, tucked into a long ponytail. She wore her lab coat over her usual pink dress, which protruded under her ankles.

As she lifted her hand off the notes, she hesitated for a second before placing them inside the drawer instead of over the deck. Information like this was best kept in hidden; she couldn't be too paranoid with the events that had taken place lately.

She wiped her arm across her forehead and sighed deeply.

She wanted to tell Flame Princess, she really did. But the risk of it getting into the wrong ears would surely cause a war. It just wasn't for everyone to hear, no matter how much it revolved around the young princess, it just wouldn't be right to tell her. But the least she could do to pay for her lies would be to at least make her final years happier. Finn made her happy, and so did she to him. The torture the Candy Kingdom has put to the royal family of the Fire Kingdom through had to stop now.

She thought about that day, when everything had been explained, but she hadn't understood it then. She was still too young to understand it at the time.

_**~ Eight years ago ~**_

_Her mother tugged her forward eagerly through the dark streets, she didn't know this place even existed before today. It was a foreboding place; it just didn't feel like somewhere she wanted to be. Dark figures sneaked around the city, shady characters whispered words with threatening tones, while peculiar men and women stood behind stalls fending off thieves and trying to sell their merchandise at the same time. It was a chaotic place! It had been a horrible day already, and being in this city wasn't making it any better._

_First she had been woken up early in the day, and her mother had made her leave with her in a hurry to this strange place. Her and her self-designated aunty, the Vampire Queen, were supposed to meet at the kingdom gates after she woke up, now she was going to miss her day of fun for some boring business her mom had to 'deal with'._

_Her mom almost dived into a door, pushing it open and almost throwing the poor candy princess inside. She slammed the door shut, the sounds and rustle of the dark city ceasing with it. Her mom sighed and turned around._

_It was a small little room they were in; it looked like it was the backdoor to some bar, as she could hear the loud ramblings of the drunks through the back wall. The ground was lined with bumpy cobblestone, as most of the city's roads where. There was a dim fireplace set in the wall. Two chairs sat conveniently across from each other in the middle of the room with a small desk on each side, and sitting on one of the seats, was a fire elemental._

_Bonnibel had read of the Fire Elementals that patrol the Fire Kingdom, how they are hostile to any intruders, never letting anyone but their own kin in or out of their fiery land. But she had never really seen one in person; and this one looked to be royalty! She had a fiery crown adorned with beautiful red rubies that made a pattern around the base of the metal. Her dress was lined with beautiful gold trims that caressed down from the chest down in a curled pattern, going down and lining around the bottom of the dress. Her forehead and chest were adorned with large ruby gems similar to the ones on her forehead. She was just a bit smaller then her own mother. Her fiery hair had been tamed down and tucked under her neck into a small pony tail._

"Greetings Candy Queen, please take a seat. I don't want this to take any longer then it should, especially in this city." _The fire elemental woman said sighing, trying to compose herself._

_She almost looked like she didn't want to be here as much as herself. There was something on her face that the young princess just couldn't identify, she was still too naïve to read those emotions._

_Her mother nodded, before sitting down on the hard leathery seat._

"I'll get straight to the point then, have you found a solution to her problem yet?" _her mother said flatly._

_She could be rather cruel sometimes when it came to running a kingdom, she put aside most emotions and friendships just to run her kingdom, something she still didn't understand it._

"We've been trying... but... there's really nothing we can do." _she said with a sob in her voice._

"Then I'm sorry Flame Queen, I'll have to take action for the sake of Ooo." _her mother said, almost harshly._

"I know but-"

"Look Flame Queen, I know she's you're daughter, and I understand what you're going through, but responsibility demands sacrifice, it was a huge risk to even consider meeting away from your kingdom."_ she said while she walked over to the Flame Queen, placing her hand on her shoulder._

_She looked dimmer than the fire elementals she had seen in books in the library, she would spend most of her time there reading books about faraway lands, but the confines of the castle only held so much excitement; it was rare enough for her to even leave the kingdom's gates. The fire elementals in her books glowed way brighter then the queen sitting before her._

"But having the same condition as her, you must understand the sacrifices she must make."_ she said as she smiled, trying to comfort her._

"Just... listen to me." _the Flame Queen said as she looked up to her. Her expression changed, she looked intently at her mother._

"Only those that have this condition can understand... when you're imprisoned, locked up for being who you are, people start to treat you differently, even look at you differently. You begin to think that people are treating you normal, but in the end you realize that they think you're a monster." _she began, wiping the tear that escaped from her eye._

_She looked up to the Candy Queen, a more serious look on her face._

"Once it happens, there's no turning back. You can only look towards the future, filled with darkness and loneliness. You begin to lose sight of who you are, and your whole life you walk with the shadow of death beside you, completely unaware of it."_ Another tear escaped her eye, followed by a stream of them._

"And in the end, you feel a void in your heart. It fills your mind day in and day out, that gaping emptiness you feel every day; the condition, ready to pounce on any strong feeling that dares enter it. When you live with the constant loneliness and isolation, you start wishing you just die. That's what it means to be like this." _she ended, wiping the tears from her face. She got up, and looked at the Candy Queen intently._

"But there is a cure to this depression..." _she smiled softly, lowering her face._

_She paused for a second, and her eyes drifted to Bonnibel's own, who was entranced in what she was saying._

"Having something that can fill that void in your heart." _she said as a final tear escaped from her eye._

"Please help my daughter find that something."

**_~ Present day ~_**

"_I guess Finn is that something._" she thought, finally understanding her words.

She shook her head and looked out the window. There was no time for such thoughts now; she had to get to work. Something caught her eye before she turned for the door though, and she looked towards it. The sky had gone dark; she could see storm clouds in the distance. The storm looked very irregular, the clouds were almost completely black, the only hint of light being the massive storm raging within it.

She heard someone knock on the door, it was a light three taps and the sound seemed to be coming from the ground up. Naturally she knew it was Peppermint Butler.

"Peppermint Butler, I need you to warn the people of the incoming storm, it looks like it's going to hit us hard." she yelled out, grabbing some notes off her desk.

"And we better be ready when it does."

**~ ... ~**

Flame Princess remained in shock for the moment; she didn't move as Finn pulled her in and said those words. She could only sit there and comprehend what he had just told her; _he loved her._

She knew that they had feelings for each other, but the comment took her by surprise. All that anger and that isolated feeling she always had suddenly disappeared, it was like a part of her had suddenly returned. She felt comforted, accepted. For once since her imprisonment, she felt truly happy.

She would've been happier if she wasn't burning him though; she reluctantly pulled away from him, a sweet smile on her face.

She had burned his arms again, but she understood now that pain was irrelevant when it came to this bear-capped teenager, he was relentless in being with her, and all she had ever done was hurting him and do nothing but cause trouble for him. Yet he still loved her for who she was, when everyone else looked down on her.

"I want to kiss you so much right now." she said openly.

She could almost feel the heat radiating off his cheeks as he blushed, she giggled at his reaction.

The happiness she felt inside could only be matched by the sadness she felt every time she longed to embrace him, how she longed to repay him for being such an amazing person. But simply being her got in the way, it would be like this forever. There wasn't anything she could do about it.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp, stinging pain on her shoulder. Her palm seemed to flip onto the source of the pain, smacking at whatever was causing it. She could feel nothing there, she exclaimed in confusion as she felt another sharp sting of pain; this time on her chest. She looked up and exclaimed in shock as she saw what the cause of it was. A massive dark cloud was looming directly above them, the only light seeping through it being the flashes of crackling lightning that danced around inside it.

Finn looked up into the sky to figure out what she was looking at; the glaring rays of the sun had been completely swallowed by a dark, looming cloud. He exclaimed in shock as he ran to cover the Flame Princess, he grabbed her, pulling her down and covering her body with his. He groaned in pain as her fiery hair burned against his chest.

Suddenly a crackling flash of lightning smashed down somewhere nearby, letting out a roar of thunder as the heavens seemed to open up, rain began pelting down and completely covering the area.

"Finn, it's hurting me!" she yelled over the sound of crashing rain and thunder, the rain continued to pelt down as Finn rushed her under the cover of a nearby rock formation.

Flame Princess' arm was rested over his shoulder as the two desperately fell under the cover of the rocks, breathing heavily as Finn's arm rested under her stomach, supporting her so she doesn't smack her head against the rocks.

He wouldn't have minded staying like that, if the burning sensation hadn't gotten to him. He thought to himself for a second. He was really getting used to her heat. All of these burns were making his body almost resistant to it. He wasn't burning as easily as he had used to; even though his current burns around his face, back and front still hurt.

He looked towards Flame Princess; she somehow seemed to have been rendered unconscious by the rain. He thought it weird, she'd never had this type of reaction to water before, not much had gotten to her either. He was sure he covered most of her body with his own. He then remembered her fiery hair burning against his chest, and looked at his shirt. It had been completely burned through the mid-section and the ring around it was flaming away.

He sat there with a stupid look on his face for a second, before screaming in shock and flinging his shirt off and into the rain. He watched as the fire doused, smoking rising off of it, leaving the shirt to dampen in the rain.

He sighed deeply, sitting amidst the roaring thunder and crashing rain, the trees seemed to bend slightly, the winds picked up and it was almost freezing Finn to death. He sat there hugging himself, trying to keep himself warm. His body was naturally drawn to the heat of Flame Princess, who had shifted her position, now facing Finn. He shivered and scooted his body over to hers, before lying down next to her. The heat radiating off her body comforted him, before he drifted off into sleep.

**~ ... ~**

A giant yellow dog could be seen leaping over trees and hills amidst the roaring thunder and crashing rain, he was gaining speed with each bound, set on his goal.

Jake exclaimed in shock as a bolt of lightning crashed into the forest, igniting a blaze within the rain. Even amidst all the falling current, the fire seemed to blaze brighter. He jumped over the blaze, and continued to move towards the Fire Kingdom.

After he had figured out that Finn had left, he rushed off towards the Fire Kingdom as fast as possible. The sun was still out when he left, so Marceline couldn't follow him. She was also looking for her sun hat, which seemed to have disappeared.

As he neared the place where the Fire Kingdom's entrance was supposed to be located, he could see a slight glow in the distance.

**~ ... ~**

Finn awoke to find two wide-open eyes staring at him right in his face.

"Hellooo?" Flame Princess said in a silly tone.

He exclaimed in shock as he ungracefully flung himself backwards, and felt the warmth around his body completely vanish with the massive wave of rain that flung over the top of him. His hands scrambled as he dragged his fingers along the ground to get back under the cover of the rock formation. As he leaned his back against the rock face, he looked towards Flame Princess who was laughing at him in her usual soft voice.

He looked out into the open, the world looked completely devoid of life as the storm raged, and it still hadn't cleared up.

"What happened? And where is your shirt?" she asked him, still giggling.

He looked down and remembered that he still wasn't wearing his shirt. He cheeks turned red, before he rubbed back of his head laughing.

"Uh, your hair sort of set it on fire." he said as a gust of wind flew right through him, making him shiver, holding onto his body.

She frowned at him, before he gave her a reassuring look.

"Hey it's okay FP, really. I just uh..." he shuddered, before stumbling on his words.

"Yes?" she asked, a smile appearing on her face, obviously aware of his embarrassment.

She scooted closer to him, her smile staring at him seductively.

"Uh I..." he could've sworn she was had slapped him like the first time they met; his cheeks were really hot.

"Yes...?" she continued to tease him.

"Need you to... uh."

"Yes?"

"Be close to me." he said quickly, he never usually let himself be thrown into a corner like that, he's usually the one in charge of a situation, but this was something completely new to him.

Her very female body and her seductive smile was inciting a new feeling in Finn, he felt rather attached to staring at her body for a second, entranced in her gentle curves. He then quickly shook his eyes away as he felt her stare locked on him.

"That's all?" she said with a smile, as she moved herself next to him, just enough so her body didn't caress against his skin.

Finn really could have stayed like that forever; he didn't need her touch for now, just her being there.

It was all he had wanted from the beginning.

**_- End of Chapter 10 -_**

**_Author's Notes:_** Whew... well that was another emotion-heavy chapter.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on next chapter!


	11. Burning

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for being so late guys, I had a real struggle trying to get home so I could use a computer, and my update schedule is now a minimum of a chapter a week, and with a maximum of three per week.

Enjoy the chapter!

Edit: It's come to my attention that people that reviewed this chapter when it was a sorry message won't be able to review it again. - All you have to do is review as a guest and put your name in so I know who you are x) - Or if there's any chapter you have not reviewed yet, just leave it there ^_^.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- _Burning,_ Chapter 11 -**

In the freezing cold of that night, the only heat radiating off the girl's blazing hair; the two had curled up beside each other not just as an instinct of survival; but from a longing to be with the one they loved... Their silent breaths caressed against each other's skins as they lay there, locked up in their own world of dreams; asleep and completely nonchalant about the world around them, the sudden crash of thunder would shake the atmosphere with its unpredictable loud booms and random lashes of lightning, making the two occasionally scoot up closer to each other in shock, narrowly avoiding the touch of their own bodies.

They lay there asleep silently; the feeling of each other's presence being the only comfort against the ever growing uncertainty of the situation, but amidst the falling chaos, with their emotional turmoil and unanswered questions, they were still at peace knowing they were together.

Suddenly the sound of splashing and what sounded like rushing footsteps could be heard over the sound of the crashing rain and thunder. Finn's eyes began to slowly open; his eyes blinking slightly adjusting to the world around him. He let out a deep yawn that knocked him out of his trance, he shook his head around before he heard what woke him up again, the sound of the splashing and footsteps was getting closer; it was now accompanied by the sound of heavy breathing.

The bear-capped teenager instinctively drew his sword and stood up, facing towards the oncoming sound. Finn could barely see a foot in front of him, the slicing winds were shrouding over the atmosphere; picking up twigs, rocks, leaves, anything that would lift off the ground and combining it with the thick rain to cover the entire atmosphere around him; minimizing his line of sight to a small degree. In this raging storm; anything could pounce out. The boy was well aware of the dangers of Ooo, his many adventures had brought him a wide array of dangerous creatures; scaling from dragons to little cute people, cyclops to wicked witches and goblins to even the Lich himself! His adventures and battles had made him quite the warrior in Ooo, and he was ready to defend Flame Princess from anything that would threaten her.

The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere; up, down, left, right. Finn couldn't pinpoint its location.

"Show yourself!" Finn yelled at the mass of jagged land in front of him.

He backed up slowly, mumbling sounds of shock and uncertainty; his head darting side to side searching for the intruder when his head smacked into the lumpy wall of the rock formation.

He exclaimed in shock and rubbed his head, silently moaning in pain to not wake the sleeping elemental next to him. The boy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, sharpening his senses and listening for the sound of rushing footsteps.

The sound had completely vanished; once again replaced by the onslaught of rain and lightning, whatever it was nearby must have run away. He exclaimed a sigh of relief and fell back onto the lumpy surface. What would be running around in this weather? It looked completely inhospitable a few meters from him, he could hear trees falling, fires blazing and razor sharp winds slicing the land apart, nothing could survive in this weather. What could possibly-

"Finn!" a familiar voice yelled out as a flash of yellow suddenly tackled Finn into the ground, making him slide along the wet surface. He looked up to see a certain yellow dog staring down at him.

"Jake!?" Finn exclaimed as he pushed the soaked yellow dog off him.

Finn looked towards Jake, his entire body was soaked to the brim; making it a darker-yellow color. Small wounds and patches of blood covered his entire body, and for some reason, he looked quite menacing.

It wasn't the wounds or wet exterior, or the dark rings around his eyes; it was the angry glare he was giving him.

"What the Glob..." Jake said softly as he stretched his arms forward and held Finn up by his waist.

"..._were you thinking_!?" Jake yelled as he flailed the shirtless teenager in his arms.

"Huh?" Flame Princess exclaimed in confusion as she woke up.

**~ ... ~**

After Finn managed to calm the angry canine down, the storm had finally passed over and they had begun walking across the vast jagged landscape and were slowly making their way through the forest, the three all with a look of exhaustion on their face. The rains had littered the land, covering rough patches with large puddles of water, making it quite difficult for them to navigate around without causing harm to the fragile fire elemental. The storm had literally torn the land apart; it had left a trail of destruction in its wake that left a scar etched across the landscape.

Finn winced in pain as he grabbed Flame Princess' hand, delicately guiding her over a puddle of water that had made its way between the two.

"It's fine Finn..." the young elemental said as she let go of his hand, delicately skipping around the puddle. She smiled at him; he seemed to be lost in thought.

He had a look of distraught on his face; she gave him an uncertain look before he noticed her gaze locked on him.

"Finn, is everything okay?"

He sighed; it was going to be a long trip to Marceline's house in this situation. They couldn't ride on Jake for obvious flammable reasons and Flame Princess couldn't simply morph into flames and travel due to the water being everywhere either. It was already hard enough traversing across the broken landscape, vertical drops to a fatal fall onto jagged rocks and rushing water covered the landscape, there were unstable trees from the storm that fell without warning. There was even a fire nearby- even in these drenched conditions a fire had managed to start.

"Yeah it's-" Finn began before he noticed that Flame Princess had disappeared, his head darted from side to side before he spotted the fire elemental running off into the forest in the direction of the smoke.

"Flame Princess?" Finn exclaimed in confusion before chasing after her, Jake not far behind.

**~ ... ~**

He had been chasing her for a good five minutes before he noticed her stop in front of a flowerbed, her features glowing brighter against the heat of the blazing fire near them. He must have lost Jake in the maze of thick brush and thickets, as he was no longer with him. Gasping for air the young teenager slowed his pace and began to slowly walk towards her.

As he stopped beside the blazing girl, he noticed she was staring at the scene of destruction before them, her face showing no emotion. He could feel the heat coming off the massive blaze; he gazed towards it, trying to figure out what she was thinking...

"It's such a shame..." she spoke softly beside him.

He looked towards the girl, her face now a look of distraught.

"I would always hear whispers of the beautiful forests of Ooo when I was in my lamp, how massive plants towered up into the sky, how the grounds were covered in flowers and lush green grass that went on forever." she said, her features glowing brighter.

"They would talk about the little critters that lived there, how they lived in harmony with the land, relying on it to survive. I would always dream of skipping in the fields of flowers, climbing the trees, playing with the little critters... Being free." her expression saddened.

"But I never thought... that what I am..." her hand gestured towards the blazing fire.

"...is what kills them..." she said flatly.

He watched her kneel down in front of the flowerbed; he could only imagine what she was feeling right now.

She raised her hand, and at the touch of her finger, the flowerbed was set alight, just like the time Finn had found her alone in the forest. But this time it was different, she was no longer the naïve princess that had stormed out of her castle and into an unknown land; at last she understood what she was to the world. All she had to see was an example of it to truly understand; everything that had happened prior meant nothing to her now. Seeing the scene of destruction before her, the very thing she is cleansing the land of life, she finally understood.

"All what fire does is burn, it has a single purpose, what right do I have to change that?" she said, a feeling of acceptance in her voice. Her features were emotionless, a moment of silence passed before the boy behind her decided to speak.

"You know what I think?"

She didn't respond, she just sat there watching the flowers ignite in a blaze, smoke and sparks of fire rising up into the atmosphere as the flowers withered in front of her.

"You're talking crazy." he said coldly.

Her body seemed to light up with anger; how could he say that? The one person in the world she expects to understand, and he calls her crazy! She turned around, her face a visage of rage, until her gaze met his. Her expression changed instantly and a blush graced her cheeks as she realized how close his face was to hers. He had a warm smile etched across his features; strands of golden hair had escaped the confines of his bear-cap and were now flowing freely across his face.

"You're not just fire, Flame Princess, you're a person, with feelings." a wave of nervousness seemed to hit him, he placed his hand on her cheek, wincing in pain.

"One that I care about... a lot..." His face was now directly in front of hers, the fire elementals' features immediately lit up, her eyes gazed into his.

By now his urges were raging. He knew that he would always have to reluctantly pull away any time soon, ending the tender moment between them. How he wanted to close that gap, how much he wanted to grace his lips with hers; but in the end, it wasn't him that gave in to the feelings that had teased him for so long, it wasn't him that had closed the space between them.

It was her.

**_- End of Chapter 11 -_**

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the short chapter, couldn't think of many ways to make it longer before reaching the real goal there. I guess it's still decent-ish size though.

Well I guess now we're moving onto the darker chapters, it's been fun writing these fluffy romance flicks, too bad it's all going to change with what I have planned.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review!


	12. Disaster

**Author's Notes: **And now we fall under the darker chapters, I'm sure you readers will find this chapter different from most of the chapters I've written thus far.

Well, enjoy the chapter! x

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Disaster,_**** Chapter 12 -**

As her lips met his, the young teenager felt a rush of feelings that no boy his age should have been able to experience. Already torn by his longing to do what she had just done for him, he felt confused. His eyes widened in shock and he stood there frozen; the burning sensation of his skin sizzling against her lips fading before the might of the pain in his heart as he began to push away, aware of the dangers she had so easily forgotten. But she only merged deeper into the confused boy, sealing the connection between them both. Seeking to indulge in the feeling that she had so easily accepted; the boy closed his eyes and he melted into the kiss, forgetting about the world around him as that moment of perfection took over his very being. Their raging desire for each other had pushed them into a corner. No longer able to control their urges, they had simply given up on resisting, finally putting an end to the torment that had controlled them for so long; in that moment oblivious to any type of punishment their actions could cause.

It was in the moment that her lips began to burn through his she began to slowly pull away from him. The sudden disconnection had left him confused. Their silent breaths caressed against each other's skin as a torrent of warm emotions flew through them both. As they slowly opened their eyes, returning to reality, the realization of what they had both done hit them. They stood there in silence for a moment, before realizing something.

_Nothing was happening._

His eyes widened in shock as he realized what had just transpired. His gazed locked on to Flame Princess, who now had the same look in her eyes. She raised her palms up to her face and looked at them silently, as if to see if anything had happened to her.

"W-wasn't something supposed to happen...?" he asked Flame Princess, who was still staring at her palms.

She stood there in silence for a couple of seconds, before dropping her palms, raising her head and looking at Finn with a serious look in her eyes. "I'm going to the CandyKingdom."

"W-what?" he exclaimed, confused by the sudden statement. "Why?"

She turned around and looked in the direction of the Candy Kingdom, her face a look of determination and anger. "I'm going to get answers, one way or another." She clenched her fists. "How dare she lie to me?"

Finn wanted answers as much as anyone, but he was simply too exhausted for a trip to the Candy Kingdom. Marceline would probably be expecting them back at her house soon too; as much as the nonchalant Vampire Queen liked to deny it, she really did care about him. And he wasn't about to let an angry fire elemental storm into the castle spouting unbelievable accusations against the princess, they had to be smart about it.

However before he could object, the sound of rustling took over the silence that had lingered for a few moments. Finn turned his head toward the sound, to see none other than Jake tumble out of the bushes with a groan, landing face first with a thud.

"Jake!" Without hesitation he was gone from his position and by his brother's side; who was lying motionless on the grass. Trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with him, he placed his hand on the dog's shoulder and shook his body slowly.

"Jake?" he said giving him another shake. "C'mon man, what's wrong?"

He placed his hands under the dog and rolled him over onto his back, immediately noticing that the features of his body were significantly paler. His body felt cold and fragile and the usual bright look in his eyes had been replaced by a dull, emotionless stare; his slow, muffled breaths being the only sign of life coming from the yellow dog. He looked as if he didn't even know Finn was there as he stared blankly into night sky. What could have done this to him?

"Jake, can you hear me!?" he waited for the dog to show any signs of movement.

He placed his hands under Jake and pulled the dog up into his arms. He was so cold. He stood up and turned around to see Flame Princess watching the scene curiously.

"Flame Princess, something's wrong with Jake!" he said as he ran over to her.

"What happened to him?" she asked as she looked at the pale dog in his arms.

He started breathing heavily. What had happened to him? He was fine ten minutes ago, what could he have encountered in the forest that would've done this to him? He knew of no creature that inhabited this part of the land that could cause this kind of sickness.

"I-I don't know, w-we have to get him to the Candy Kingdom!" he panicked, his thoughts of avoiding the place completely forgotten with the dilemma in front of him.

"It's still a really long walk from here, I'd take him there myself but..." Flame Princess began, she sighed. "I don't know if we'll make it Finn, look at the condition he's in."

"I don't care, I'm going now!" He threw the dog onto his shoulders and began to sprint towards the Candy Kingdom.

"Hold it right there weenie." the familiar voice of the Vampire Queen commanded.

**~ ... ~**

The Candy Kingdom didn't stand a chance. Against the might of the relentless storm, the kingdom had been destroyed. The only building that still remained on its foundations was the castle itself, the rest of the buildings were either completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Dark clouds still floated high above the kingdom; small trickles of rain still falling onto the once great home of the candy people. The streets were no longer flooded by the mass of usual candy citizens that would usually be moving along them, but by the rains of the storm. The gates had remained closed as the storm hit with no warning, leaving no escape for the water to drain out, causing it to flood up to half the height of the kingdom's walls. The usual vibrant glow of the kingdom had been replaced by a dark, murky atmosphere.

But the thing that stood out above everything else, even above the destruction the storm had caused; were the lifeless bodies of the Gumball Guardians half-submerged in the flood waters. Something had happened to them. Their bodies were a pale-green, the eyes of each one remained open, and a green pupil in the center of both of them as they lay there motionless on the ground.

If you could call it anything, it looked like the true definition of disaster.

As soon as Princess Bubblegum had realized the severity of the storm, she had evacuated the kingdom into the castle. They all had to run through the rain and extreme winds to get into the castle; and being the fragile candy people they are, many had sustained injuries. The hospital was filled to the brim, screaming and frantic cries could be heard from every corner of the castle, loved ones remained at the front of the hospital doors awaiting good or bad news from the only two doctors in the kingdom, Doctor Princess and Doctor Ice Cream.

They had been working relentlessly throughout the night, trying their best to save as many candy people as they could. Many had already lost their lives, the situation was sad for both of them; they had to see so many familiar faces go in the time span of a night.

The doors and windows on the bottom floor remained barricaded to stop the water from flowing in. Hundreds of candy people were scattered around the main hallway, mumbling words of misery and sadness. The ones that had already lost their homes and businesses at the hands of the Lich already knew the pain that some were feeling right now. And if it wasn't bad enough, many of them had lost their families in the storm. Not everyone could be saved.

The storm struck with tremendous speeds, the warning from the ring of the bell already being too late for any type of preparation. Everyone was doing all they could to help; having no real staff other then Peppermint Butler, Princess Bubblegum needed all the help she could get.

The candy princess was making her way through hallways filled with crowds of rushing candy people. She was trying to get to her lab. It was proving quite the difficult task, with all the hasty candy people almost knocking over, and then having to wait for their long apologies afterwards as they begged for forgiveness. She would repeat over and over about how it didn't matter, before they would finally let her go. After rinse and repeating the same process more then five times, she had finally made it to the stairs that led to her lab.

She had not checked on her project in an entire day; it could go unstable at any second if not handled properly. It was made to mimic the reaction of the Flame Princess, if kept in the wrong conditions it could go supernova just as she could. She had to make sure everything was okay, as she had done so on a regular basis for the past ten days.

Upon entry, she immediately noticed the stairs drenched in water. She looked up to see countless drops of water falling from the ceiling and trickling down the walls. The water had probably seeped in through the soil and was now dripping through the weak edges of the ceiling. She rushed down the flights of stairs while simultaneously pulling out her keys and frantically moving them around in her hands; trying to find the correct one that opened the door of her lab.

With the experiments in the lab all being based around fire, the worst thing that could possibly happen was water falling upon all of her hard work over the past week. One misguided drop of water could cause even more disaster then what had already befallen them. She had to hurry. As she neared the end of the stairs, she found herself toppling over, the keys flying through the air and hitting the ground with a rattle. She fell towards the ground, almost expecting to smack her face on the solid stone before her hair flew around her wildly, covering her face and breaking the fall instead.

Sometimes it helped to have hair made of thick bubblegum.

"Oww..." she exclaimed, slowly raising herself off the ground.

As she got up, she dusted herself off and walked over to the keys. She knelt down, picking them up off the ground. Kneeling there for a couple of seconds, she searched through the keychain until she had finally found the right key; a golden brass key with the carving 'lab' etched into it. She got up, walked towards the door and inserted it into the keyhole. She rotated the brass key and the expected loud boom noise of the large metal door opening echoed throughout the room.

She walked inside, and immediately looked up towards the roof. The ceiling inside had not yet been infiltrated by the waters that threatened to destroy what remained of her kingdom. She breathed a sigh of relief, and walked towards the flaming core in the middle of the room. It was inside a massive tube-like glass that was connected to the floor and ceiling by metal pipes that expanded from the tube and around the room.

**~ ... ~**

Marceline's timing couldn't have been better, Finn thought, as the Vampire Queen flew him and Jake through the vast dark sky of Ooo. The sick yellow dog in his arms still hadn't moved a muscle since his collapse in the forest, but was now asleep as his limp body hung from Finn's arm.

Marceline had suddenly appeared when he was about to leave for the CandyKingdom. She told Finn and Flame Princess how she had waited for the sun to go down so she could pursue Jake who had run off before her, only to have a storm start right before it did. So after being forced to wait for it to pass over, she had flown as fast as she could towards the Fire Kingdom. She had spotted the massive forest fire and immediately thought it to be Flame Princess' doing. So she decided to investigate, and low and behold, found Flame Princess standing in front of the blaze.

After seeing Jake's condition however, she immediately offered to fly him to the Candy Kingdom. She told them that she could see the storm heading towards the kingdom. Finn could only expect the worse, looking at what it's done to the landscape; he couldn't imagine the damage it would cause to the already wrecked Candy Kingdom.

Flame Princess had told them that she could easily traverse the landscape with her powers from here on out, as the landscape on the other side of the forest was much easier to traverse then the one they had come from. After reluctantly agreeing, they had flown off into the night sky.

As they flew over the grasslands, Finn could only stare as they approached the debris of what was once his home. All of the memories he had ever spent there with his friends flashed through his mind. All the good and bad moments, the struggles and victories. So many amazing moments had been shared in that house. He would rebuild it someday, and he, Jake, Beemo, and maybe even Flame Princess would live there again.

Beemo had taken his leave many months before in order to 'find his own way.' One day he approached Finn and Jake prepared for a long trip, most of the things in his little backpack being batteries and games. Even after serious objection from Finn and Jake, he had insisted he go out alone. The robot explained to them that he wanted to 'find his own way,' promising he would return. Beemo had always had a knack for looking absolutely adorable when he got serious, but in that one moment when he told them he was leaving, he looked as serious as any person they would have met. They reluctantly let the little robot leave; they still hadn't seen him in months.

He looked back towards the horizon, and could see the flurry of flames that was Flame Princess emerging out of the forest; following the flying Vampire Queen with lightning fast speeds. He smiled thankfully, she was okay. He turned around, and set his gaze on the Candy Kingdom as he flew over his house. He would be there soon.

**~ ... ~**

After running various checks and recording data, Princess Bubblegum decided she had done enough for the day, she had been in there for a couple of hours, working relentlessly to confirm that nothing had happened to the project. After confirming every detail, she placed her notes inside the desk and began to walk towards the lab door.

But something didn't feel right, the atmosphere had changed; she could feel it. A shiver ran up her spine, the room suddenly felt cold. She slowly turned around, finding nothing moving but the blazing core in the center of the tube. She breathed a sigh of relief and back around.

Only to have a cold, dark hand suddenly grab her by the throat and lift her up into the air. Her eyes widened in shock and terror as they met his; the cold, dark stare of the Lich that seemed to whisper death into her very being. His dark silhouette stood out against the light room, his cold aura making the heat of the room disappear. She gasped for air, holding onto the boney wrists of the Lich, trying to escalate herself from her suffocating position.

It wasn't necessary however, as the Lich released her from his gasp, she landed on the ground, gasping for air. She frantically pushed herself back until she had no more space left to move, backing up against the wall. The Lich cackled at the terrified look in her eyes, the sound screeching in her ears

"Compose yourself, Princess of the Candy Kingdom. I seek you no harm." The Lich twisted his wrist around, and lifted a finger upwards. "I simply seek to make you a deal."

Princess Bubblegum found herself being pulled off her feet by an unknown force. As her terror began to clear, she looked at the Lich. What could the Bane of all Life possibly want with her?

"What kind of deal, Lich?"

"Oh slow down, princess. First I must explain something to you." The Lich said, as he cackled with laughter once more. "This storm is my doing."

She had suspected as much from the beginning, but she erased the thoughts in beliefs that he no longer had the power to do it. She had known the Lich was powerful, but to conjure a storm to this magnitude of power was astonishing. He could be well drained of his energy by now, his well of power had already been destroyed, why would he take such a risk by using so much energy that could not be returned?

"... Why am I not surprised?" she replied sternly.

"Oh, but that's not all. You see, this is no ordinary storm. It is infused with a certain magic plague. Anyone that comes in contact with it will die a slow, painful death."

She stood there in horror. She could just imagine it, hundreds of candy people lying dead, others slowly dying. This is why her Gumball Guardians had died, they had been exposed to too much of the rain.

"You're protected thanks to that cursed magic of your gem of power. Your candy citizens won't be as lucky."

"Get to the point..." Princess Bubblegum said as a tear fell down her eye. Whatever he proposed wasn't going to be any better then her citizens dying.

"Oh, it's simple really, you lure the Flame Princess into my grasp, absent the petty-minded hero, and I will lift this curse off your people and this land."

Suddenly a knock could be heard on the door, they sounded frantic. "Princess! People are suddenly falling ill, the doctors don't know what's going on!" the familiar voice of Peppermint Butler called out.

Princess Bubblegum stayed silent, and looked at the Lich, her face a visage of horror.

"Lure the Flame Princess outside your kingdom. I will wait for the girl, or watch your people die." And with those words, he disappeared in a vortex of dark aura.

"Princess!? Are you there!? We need your help!"

**- End of Chapter 12 -**

**_Author's Notes: _**I actually ended up enjoying writing this chapter, even though it was a new style of writing for me. I really need your feedback on this one guys!

As always, did you like the chapter? What could I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review, I'll see everyone next chapter!


	13. Meeting

**_Author's Notes:_** I had real difficulty getting this chapter off to a start; the effects of school beginning again have already started to take a toll on me. Also I'm sorry for the lateness as well, it's starting to get really hard for me to write with all of this pressure from everything piling on. I write when I can, so I'm sorry if some of the chapters are later than the others.

Aah! Almost 100 reviews! Thanks so much guys x)

Enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own adventure time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- _Meeting,_ Chapter 13. -**

"Oh my glob..."

Finn gazed upon the debris of what used to be the Candy Kingdom. He stood atop the kingdom's walls, his mouth agape at what lay before him. The kingdom was almost completely destroyed. Water covered the surface of the kingdom, the only things being visible out of the flooded waters being the tips of small houses and the tops of larger buildings. The bright color had completely faded from the once vibrant kingdom; the lower parts of buildings and the wall had been soaked by water, washing away the color that once lit up the kingdom with a joyful glow.

It was as he feared; the trail of destruction the storm had left had passed through the Candy Kingdom.

The horror of the kingdom's condition couldn't be any worse than the motionless dead bodies of the Gumball Guardians that lay among the debris and waters. The normal bright colors of the colossal giants was now a faded grey; their bodies were half-submerged in the water, a single, cold dark stare escaping the confines of the rain waters. They look as if they had gone through immense pain before their death; their faces locked in a visage of agony moments before their passing.

Jake still lay in his arms; the dog had been locked in a trance of agonizing sleep the entire journey to the kingdom. He face would occasionally cringe in pain as the sickness he was experiencing stabbed at the only thing protecting him from the true reality of his agony: slumber.

Marceline stood next to him, as shocked as he was. The Vampire Queen forgot that they had been standing there for quite some time now and spoke up, trying to defuse the tension of the situation.

"Maybe we should check the castle? They probably took shelter inside." she looked towards him.

He glanced towards her, than looked back towards the hill they had flown over. He was thinking of Flame Princess; she had been following them through the flooded lands, traversing the landscape by her normal means of travel while they flew above it with no effort at all. He was worried for her safety. With all the dangers and water that was between them and the kingdom, anything could have happened to her. She assured him she would be fine, but he still couldn't help to be worried, so much had happened in the last couple of weeks. No one could blame him for being so on edge.

"You take Jake across; I'll wait for Flame Princess. She might need help getting across this." no sooner then the words had left Finn's mouth, a speeding trail of flames emerged from over the hills surrounding the kingdom.

He breathed a sigh of relief, she was okay.

She sped across the vast terrain between them with no effort at all, skillfully zigzagging around the various patches of water. In what seemed like no time at all, the trail of fire had made it's away across the open plain between the hills and the Candy Kingdom, climbing up the walls effortlessly, before stopping in front of Finn and morphing into the figure of the Flame Princess.

"Hi Finn!" she said cheerfully as her body quickly took shape. "Sorry it took so long. It was hard getting through there."

Finn smiled back at her and nodded; as relieved as he was to see her face, this was no moment to be wasting time. He looked back towards Marceline and held the dog up towards her.

"Take Jake into the castle, look for Doctor Ice Cream or Doctor Princess, me and FP will make our way through this." he said gesturing to the destruction before them.

"Oh my..." Flame Princess exclaimed after following his gesture, only just noticing the destruction that was the Candy Kingdom.

"Sure, but you owe me weenie. Been doin' too much for you lately." Marceline said grinning, before taking the dog in her arms and flying off towards the castle.

He watched the vampire queen fly away; he only prayed that Jake would be fine. It was still a mystery what had befallen him. He had been fine before going through the forest; he did say before that he felt a little odd while traveling, but he just shrugged it off thinking it was nothing. Now before the dilemma that was before them; the candy people had completely disappeared. What if they couldn't find anyone to help Jake? Their only hope was that they had taken shelter within the castle, the only building in the entire kingdom capable of weathering a storm of that this size.

He looked down towards the debris; it looked as if it could be traversed across, if one were careful enough. One dip in the water and Flame Princess would be done for. They had to be careful if they were going to do this.

"This doesn't look like it's going to be easy." Finn said with a sigh, sneaking a glance at Flame Princess, who was still staring in awe at the state of the kingdom.

"I'm sorry... this place must mean a lot to you." she said and turned to him. "It must be horrible to see it like this..."

"It's not as bad as you think, the Candy Kingdom has been damaged a lot of times, they are great at weathering hard times, they should recover in no time!" he replied cheerfully, he didn't like the sad atmosphere the kingdom was creating.

"Anyway, we're not going to get anywhere standing around like this. Let's go." he had a newfound trust in Flame Princess' ability, traversing that landscape by herself would have been quite difficult. He had no doubts she would be careful enough.

She grinned at him and suddenly jumped off the edge of the wall. He quickly shot his head over the side, and watched as she controlled flames underneath her feet, slowing her fall as she landed gracefully on a floating chunk of debris.

"I'll race you there!" she yelled out.

"Hey wait up!"

**~ ... ~**

Quickly floating through the various hallways and rooms that took up the majority of the castle, Marceline had found herself lost. She hadn't yet seen any sign of candy life anywhere, but she was determined to find help for Jake. She barged open a door in front of her and found herself at the side of the main entrance. There were scattered blankets and various items lying around everywhere, but still no sign of candy people.

She breathed a sigh of annoyance, looking down at the dog in her arms. It was only a matter of time before he passed on, she needed to find someone quick to help her before that happened and he moved on into the Underworld. Getting his soul back would be out of the question too, apparently Finn and Jake had already gotten something from Death once before, and it was only possible to get one thing per person from him, then your soul would be his forever once you died.

She knew where she was now; she quickly floated towards the door that led to the hospital section of the castle. Before she could reach it, however, a certain candy princess sprinted through the door opposite the door she was going for, and stopped dead in her tracks when she seen who was there.

"Marceline?!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed shocked.

"Uh, hey Bonnibel?" Marceline replied awkwardly, noticing the look of despair in her eyes. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"This is no time for your games Marceline, where's Finn and J-" she began before noticing the dog in her arms.

She ran over to her and placed her hand above the dog's head, completely ignoring Marceline's sarcastic gestures.

"Oh no, he's been exposed..." she said despairingly.

Marceline grabbed the princess' chin and held it up so that she was looking at her. "To what, exactly, Bonnibel?"

"Will you please stop calling me that?!" she said raising her voice, smacking her hand away in annoyance.

"That's your name isn't it?"

"Ugh! I don't care! Just follow me!" Princess Bubblegum said opening the door behind them and moving through it with haste.

"This is the first case I've seen, but there are many more in the hospital. I'll need to perform some tests on him." the princess said as she ran towards the Hospital Wing, Marceline floating beside her.

"He's not some lab rat Princess, he needs a doctor." Marceline looked at her.

"This isn't a normal sickness, it's a magic plague. It came with the earlier storm, infused with the Lich's dark magic. Anything caught in the rain is going to die if I don't find a way to stop it." she had been running for a while now, the princess was exhausted. She slowed down and began to walk slowly, the vampire queen floating off away from her.

Marceline stopped and looked back at her. She sighed in annoyance, pressing her face against her palm. She turned around and floated back towards her.

"You're pathetic Bonnibel..." she mocked, grabbing the princess around the waist. After a defiant 'hey!' from her, the princess reluctantly let the Vampire Queen carry her towards the Hospital Wing.

**~ ... ~**

"I win!" Flame Princess shouted in victory, pumping a fist in the air as she stood above a pile of debris that had pushed itself up against the castle's walls.

She looked down towards Finn, who had only just made it across her self-designated finish line. He was gasping for air, leaning on his knees and holding one finger up in the air to gesture his inability to speak at the moment.

She giggled in amusement, before turning around and looking in awe at the tower above them.

"Wow, this looks so much bigger up close..." her eyes spotted an open window a few ten feet above them. "Hey Finn, I think we can get in through this window." she said turning her head towards him

"Y-yeah.-." Finn said gasping; only now reaching the top of the debris. He was slowly beginning to lose his boundless energy as he reached that stage of growing up; but she only seemed to gain energy with every movement she made.

"I'll see you at the top!" she said enthusiastically as she morphed into flames and flew up the side of the castle.

"Oh glob, does she ever slow down?"

**~ ... ~**

Finn rushed quickly through the hallways; years of experience traversing them had left the place etched into his memory almost like a map. Flame Princess ran behind him, following his lead. He began to hear commotion coming from the Hospital Wing; he moved faster, before spotting the door he was looking for.

Finn literally charged through the door of the Hospital Wing, and stopped in his tracks when he seen the massive crowd of people waiting out the front of the hospital doors. They all looked towards him, a look of hopelessness in their eyes. Their features lighted up when they saw who it was.

"It's Finn!"

"Finn is here to save us!"

"Finn, help us!"

They all exploded in a flurry of cheers and desperate cries, all swarming him before he had any time to react. He replied with quite mumbles, pleading to get past into the hospital. The sound of his voice only drowned out in the midst of the desperate crowd, most of them looked the same as Jake, their candy bodies were pale and their eyes dark and devoid of life. Their hands all tugged at him eagerly, he wasn't sure how to react to them. He was used to helping candy people, but not in this condition.

Suddenly a burst of fire flew over the top of the room, causing all of the candy people in the room to shriek back in fear at the source of the flames, the fire elemental standing in the doorway.

_"Stop yelling!"_ Flame Princess screamed above them, her face morphing into flames, setting fire to the doorway around her.

As her face returned to normal, she noticed all of the candy people's horrified stares looking at her, whispering muffled cries of shock. She only giggled at their reaction, her features returning to their innocent-like figure. Finn smiled back at her, and led her through the crowd of scared candy people. Their faces all remained a visage of shock as the fire elemental made her way through the room.

Flame Princess poked her head through the doorway before she left, letting out a cheerful 'bye!' before she followed Finn towards their destination.

She had learnt something off Finn in the past couple of days; it's was a lot better to be happy and cheerful than being sad all the time. She couldn't help it most of the time though; the lamp had taught her to be miserable all her life, but she wasn't going to let that defeat her cheerful attitude, in reality, she was a lot like Finn.

They began to pass across the many sick candy people, some in dire condition being rushed around in hospital beds, others walking around like zombies, trying to find their way. It was horrible to see the candy citizens in this condition; they were once such a vibrant people.

It had changed from bad to worse so quickly.

Flame Princess noticed Finn had stopped in front of a rather odd-looking candy person. The person had a brown, cone-like swirl for a head, and was wearing a doctor's outfit with a single pocket at the front of it. The doctor was talking to him in muffled whispers while Finn replied a bit louder than her.

After talking for a few seconds, the doctor guided them through a door just a few meters in front of them. She walked through the door, the first thing she noticed being the pink figure of Princess Bubblegum standing over the top of Jake, who lay silently on a hospital bed.

Her eyes locked onto the candy princess and her emotions raged at the very sight of her.

"You!" Flame Princess yelled, her mood changing instantly, flaring up the room around her. Before she could charge at the candy princess however, Finn jumped in front of her.

"FP, calm down!" he pleaded waving his arms around. "Jake's in here!"

She glanced at him, then back at the princess. After death glaring the shocked princess for a few seconds, she let out a defeated sigh. "Fine..."

After he was sure Flame Princess wasn't going to kill Princess Bubblegum right in front of her servants, he walked over to the hospital bed Jake was stationed on. He held his hand above his head, feeling the cold air around the dog the instant his hand entered the atmosphere around him.

"Can you help him?" Finn asked, his eyes pleading her for an answer.

Princess Bubblegum met his pleading gaze; an unsure look fell onto her features, letting out a sigh before speaking to him. "The storm earlier was conjured by the Lich; it's been infused with a type of magic plague. Anyone who came in contact with the rain is infected. Until I find out what's causing this reaction, I'm not sure what I can do."

A guilty look fell onto her features. She stared at him for a couple of seconds, how could she do this to him? To them? She had no choice... "I also fear it is contagious, which is why I sent Marceline away as quick as possible. I'm sorry Finn, but I must ask you to leave the kingdom immediately... Flame Princess is a fire elemental, I'm sure she should be fine." she lied; the features of her face painted with guilt.

He gave her an unsure look. "But... Flame Princess and me got caught in the storm before, why aren't we sick?"

"I-I'm not sure..." she looked at them both; Flame Princess was still glaring at her. Why was she angry with her? She had done all she could to help the two. She had apologized so much, was she really that angry? Could she know of her plans?

"Look, just do anything you can to help Jake. I'll be nearby." Finn said, beginning to walk away, still unsure of Bubblegum's motives.

"That's not the only reason we're here, remember Finn?" Flame Princess interrupted, glaring at the princess. "I want answers Bubblegum." she walked over to her. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Princess Bubblegum replied nervously, backing up to the edge of the hospital bed.

"Don't try and lie to me." Flame Princess said, moving closer to her.

Princess Bubblegum met her angry stare for a few seconds, and then let out a defeated sigh. "Doctor Ice Cream, everyone, clear the room please. We need to be alone."

The doctor nodded quietly, and left the room without a word. The door shut, leaving only the three unsure people in the room. It would have been quite an odd sight; the three people in the room were completely different from each other, but all the same in some way.

"So, I guess I should start then?"

**- End of Chapter 13 -**

**_Author's Notes_****:** Sorry for the cliffhanger guys, if I had continued, this chapter's length would have been quite massive.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on the next chapter!


	14. Answers

**_Author's Notes:_** A shout out to _SCIK1012_, my 100th reviewer and in my opinion (and in a lot of other's too.), the best AT author on this site. Want to read anything good? Mostly AT-related? Check out her page ^_^!

I hope I took a step in the right direction this chapter. I've checked it over and over, trying to make sure I don't make any plot holes, it'll just be embarrassing if there is.

ZandreShort has also made a fan art cover for this fanfiction! Check it out on deviantart by searching 'Adventure Time Fiery Embrace.'

Well, enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Answers,_**** Chapter 14. -**

As the words left her lips, she reeled back in nervousness and fear at the flaring princess in front of her. The awkwardness and tension of the atmosphere was getting to all of them, Princess Bubblegum stood there in silence for a short period of time, trying desperately to think of a way out of the situation she had gotten herself into, before finally mustering up the courage to speak to the awaiting fire elemental and human in front of her.

"What would you like to know?"

An almost disgusted look fell onto Flame Princess' features, she reeled back in annoyance, almost at disbelief at the 'super-smart princess' as Finn had described her. It was blatantly obvious what she wanted to know.

"You know why...! Why did you lie to me and Finn, do you have any idea what we went through because of you!?" she burst out at Bubblegum, her anger was driving her words as the flames around her licked the ground. "What's the truth about me? I want to know everything about me..."

"Please Flame Princess; you don't want to know the truth. It's best for everyone!" Princess Bubblegum pleaded to her. "I'm warning you, it's only going to hurt you both!"

"_I don't care!" _Flame Princess stomped the ground, the outburst causing her flames to flow outwards.

"Flame Princess!" Finn grabbed her by the hand, causing her features to glow dimmer immediately. His hand burned against her skin, she looked towards him. "You need to calm down, you don't want _that_ happening again, do you?" he let go of her and looked at the candy princess across the room.

Finn looked older to Princess Bubblegum; his eyes were filled with a different light then the one she had observed for so many years. He stood taller, his maturity outclassing hers, she almost felt inferior to him in that moment. All of the years of his company and she hadn't noticed that he had grown up. She wasn't talking to a boy; she was talking to a young man. She wasn't going to deceive her way out of his questions like she had done so many times before. She had never done it to be spiteful, but she had never wanted to hurt him, this time was no different, she was going to hurt him more then he could ever imagine.

"PB, you know as well as I do that you need to tell us the truth. It's the right thing to do."

The words stabbed at her like a knife, confirming her observation. She wasn't getting out of this.

"Fine, you asked for it."

She paused, contemplating on where to begin, and began to speak. "I guess it all starts with my great grandfather, the architect of the candy castle and its first ruler." she spoke reluctantly, the mention of her great grandfather causing a distraught look to fall onto her features.

Finn was a bit shocked for a moment, Princess Bubblegum had never spoken of her family to him, the Bubblegum family had remained a secret ever since he met her. He had tried to ask once before, but was met only with angry gestures and staggered words. He always wondered what had happened to make her so secretive about it.

"His rule stretched for a short number of years since the castle's creation, he was still very young for a ruler. It was when a slight incident occurred..." she sighed, and looked at Flame Princess frowning. "He fell in love with your great grandmother, the Flame Princess of that time."

Flame Princesses eyes opened wide with shock; she had never expected such an answer. She had never been told of her family beyond her mother. But this candy princess, someone who had never known the Fire Kingdom's people as she had, knew more about her family then she did.

Finn's gaze darted towards Flame Princess, then back to Princess Bubblegum. A confused expression crossed his features. "What do you mean? She was called Flame Princess too?"

The candy princess let out a slight chuckle, his naïve nature had returned for an instant, she wasn't going to let it slide easily. "No silly, 'Flame Princess' is just a title. All royalty have true names, they are held in secret for other purposes. A certain vampire told you of mine long ago."

Finn looked back at Flame Princess, his eyes already telling her what he was asking. She had her hand placed slightly onto her mouth, a mischievous smile drawn across her features. "What?" she said with a chuckle.

He frowned, not enjoying the fact that she had a real name all this time and hadn't told him. It had to be important though, she would have told him otherwise.

"They were immediately shunned as a couple by their people as soon as they were found out..." Princess Bubblegum continued. "... the Fire Kingdom had always remained a passive threat to Ooo. They boasted of being evil, but strangely never invaded the surface of the world. The candy people were already scared of the dangerous elementals, and weren't ready to accept one as their queen, or let go of their king."

She pulled out the chair from under Jake's bed and sat down on it, her body actions flowing with nervousness and disappointment. She placed her hand against her forehead, refusing to make eye contact with them. She was reluctant to speak, as if the memory caused her immense distress.

"They persisted though, and eventually had a daughter." she raised her gaze, frowning at Flame Princess again. "Your grandmother..."

"B-but that means..." Flame Princess exclaimed, almost falling over in shock.

Princess Bubblegum had almost no emotion spread across her features. "Yes, I'm your distant cousin..." the confession brought out no reaction in her. She looked towards Finn, who was as shocked as the fire elemental beside him. "Their daughter was born half human, half fire elemental."

A confused look fell onto Finn's features once again. "But... your family isn't human... right? How could that happen?"

"The human gene resides in millions of creatures across Ooo, Finn. Your race did inhabit this planet before most of us. The human gene is dominant even throughout my family, and thus was passed onto the Fire Elementals through my great grandfather. As it turns out though, the gene can only exist within females in fire elementals. Males lack certain features to be able to take on the gene." she explained.

"My great grandfather was eventually broken off from the Fire Elemental by the past Flame King himself. They were worried that it would happen again and decided it was necessary to lock all female royalty inside the castle, to never come across such a problem again."

Finn had a clouded understanding, but he continued to listen. All the while Flame Princess wasn't intrigued.

"Get to the point, what does this have to do with my condition? So what if I'm half human?" she was growing impatient, her elemental side showing clearly.

"It has everything to do with your condition!" Princess Bubblegum burst out. "It's the reason your mother..." she stopped there, her face a visage of sadness for the fire elemental in front of her. How could she have even thought of that day..?

The Flame Princess suddenly lost all the anger that blazed inside her. "M-my mother...? Y-you know how she..." her body became motionless, a pleading stare fell onto her features, as she looked at the candy princess in front of her.

"P-Please... tell me..."

Princess Bubblegum met her pleading stare; she felt her heart rage with guilt. Out of everything Bonnibel could possibly tell her, this had to be the worst. It was going to be brought up one way or another, but the memory caused as much pain to the candy princess as it would to the fire elemental standing in front of her.

"Please forgive me, Flame Princess... You deserve to know."

**_~ ... ~_**

"... Very well, Flame Queen." _The Candy Queen lied, the words barely escaping her lips in a harsh tone. _

"Thank you!" _the Flame Queen exclaimed throwing herself into the Candy Queen's body._ "Thank you..." _another tear escaped the emotional queen's eyes._

_Young Bonnibel grew unsure at the sign of affection. Her mom had never been one to show any type of it to anyone, even her own daughter. She held her mouth, gasping at scene in front of her._

_The Candy Queen let out an exasperated sigh, _p_ushing the dim fire elemental off of her body and wiping her dress down as if she were disgusted by the indecent action._

"Compose yourself; you're a queen of the Fire Kingdom, not some lowly servant. My daughter is watching all of this; I don't want her catching onto anything."

"Y-yes... you're right..." _the fire elemental exclaimed awkwardly_. "We should get going then? The path back to my kingdom is not a short one." _her voice sounded muffled, it looked as if desperation suddenly gripped the queen as she delicately grabbed her dress, lifting the beautiful garments off the ground so she could move swiftly towards the doorway._

"Are you okay, Flame Queen?" _the Candy Queen questioned as she gripped the doorknob and slowly turned it. _

_The door opened, revealing the dark streets of the thief city. The Flame Queen almost ran through it, stopping in front of the doorway and looking around frantically. Her figure showed signs of desperation; she stumbled from side to side as if she were dazed. The fire elemental held her body as a cold gust of wind flew straight through her. She shivered uncontrollably and placed one hand against the wall, gasping for air._

_"_Flame Queen, answer me." _the Candy Queen demanded, losing her patience with the elemental._ _Bonnibel stood behind her mother, staring through the gap between her arms. She gasped in horror as the Flame Queen turned around, revealing her no-longer blazing body to them._

_The fiery aura that had once surrounded her body had disappeared. Her dim, red, flaming hair was beginning to fade to a dark orange color. Her garments lost their fiery essence, and hung lowly down her body, soaking against the wet ground. Her orange-toned face had faded to a lower skin-color. The entire features of her body had lost their flaming glow, revealing the human that hid within them. _

_The Flame Queen's mind flashed to her daughter. Images of her happy face flowing through her mind. Her eyes teared up at them; she looked down to her hands, in realization of what was happening. _

"You promise that my daughter will be happy?"_ she sobbed, her body motionless as rain suddenly began to pour, trickling down the now delicate skin of the Flame Queen. "_Do you really promise?" _she pleaded as her tears caressed down her cheeks._

"Yes!" _the young Bonnibel bursted out, pushing past her mother's arms and rushing out into the rain. _"I swear on the Candy Kingdom!" _the young girl said enthusiastically, flashing a grin, a sure sign of the pure heart that still remained within her._

"Bonnibel!" _the Candy Queen exclaimed in shock. _"Get back here this instant!"

_A final weak smile graced the Flame Queens lips. "_Funny..." _she looked down to the young girl in front of her, a motherly look that Bonnibel had never received before, not even from her own mother fell onto the queen's face._

"... You remind me of her somehow..." _she looked up into the sky, letting the rain fall onto her body as she took in her last breaths._

_Her body went limp; she fell onto the ground with a thud. Her body faced upwards, the rain beginning to pelt down on her motionless body. An echoing light seemed to pierce through the clouds, shining down onto her. It drowned out the sound of the screaming girl next to her, obscured the dark city that loomed above her. It reached out to her, she let it take her in its arms, accepting the fate that awaited her._

"So... this is what rain feels like..." _she chuckled wearily as she faded into eternal sleep, the curse that she had suffered her entire life finally lifting with her last breath. _

_A smile still on her face._

**_~ ... ~_**

Flame Princess stood there in awe, a new respect for the princess in front of her awakening.

"Y-you really said that?" the fire elemental let the tears of lava flow freely down her face.

No matter how much the princess in front of her had lied to her, no matter how much pain she had caused to her and Finn; she had still made her mother happy in the end. All her mother ever wanted was her happiness, it made her happy thinking that she would be too. She couldn't have been more of a pure soul. The evil the Fire Kingdom boasted of couldn't be true. How could such a beautiful person exist within the confines of those walls if it had been so?

"One thing still gets me though..." Finn interrupted. "If you were so young back then, how were you the one who locked her in the lamp?" he eyed Princess Bubblegum suspiciously.

A smile graced her features. She looked up to the bear-capped teenager. "How in the world did I not notice how smart you've gotten Finn?" she chuckled wearily. "It was my mother, I still blame myself though. It was always within my power to have her released, but I never did so."

She looked towards the fire elemental. "Your mother was a wonderful person, don't you ever doubt that. In the end she would have wanted you to know the truth." She gulped in reluctance. "Just please, Finn, Flame Princess. You're not going to like it."

"The truth is all I wanted from the beginning. It doesn't matter how bad it is... just... just tell me." Flame Princess gazed at her intently. "Please."

Princess Bubblegum sighed. She stood up in front of the two, looking at them face to face.

"Your mother died of the same condition you have. A fire elemental must be pure fire to exist forever... Being half human, the part that sustains you doesn't exist. There's no telling when, but in the end..."

"... I'm going to die." Flame Princess accepted calmly.

Finn's looked towards Princess Bubblegum. His body became numb, his actions became disoriented. A tear fell down his cheek. He stumbled backwards and hit his head against the wall. "Die?" he exclaimed in shock. He was going to lose her; it was made clear by the candy princess in the room. His eyes pleaded the princess for a different answer.

She was used to despair, she was used to loneliness. She was used to the sadness that came with half her life. But Flame Princess wasn't prepared to throw away the happiness she had felt by being with Finn. If she had been taught one thing from him, it was that being happy was better then falling into the darkness that was sadness. The truth was all she ever needed to come to a resolution for her life; it wasn't a bad thing to know the truth. With it she had finally come up with a meaning for her existence:

Even if it cost her life, she was prepared to fulfill her mother's last wish; for her to be happy.

She remained calm, not letting the notion of her guaranteed death to strike her at all. She simply asked the next question. "Just one more thing, Princess. If this condition prevents me from feeling strong emotions, like romance, why were me and Finn able to kiss?"

Princess Bubblegum sat there in awe at the girl's bravery. Finn didn't seem to be taking it as well as her. He still stood motionless, his back against the wall, his face covered in despair and sadness. He wasn't as strong as the fire elemental in front of her, it was only human that he was feeling the way he was. The guarantee of her death didn't strike her at all. She moved past it, as if it were anything else. What had her words sparked in her? Could it be her mother's will moving her past the pain? Whatever it was, it made Princess Bubblegum respect the girl in front of her more then ever. Thoughts of betraying them diminished completely. She wanted nothing more then to help the girl in front of her. But she didn't know the answer to her question.

"I-I'm not sure. Although it was quite foolish for either of you to even attempt it, it should have triggered a reaction that would have destroyed half of Ooo. I don't know the answer. It's the truth." she answered, her features glowing brighter. If this girl could stand there and listen to everything that had just transpired and come out fine, who was she to sit there sobbing like a weak little princess?

She noticed Flame Princess had walked up to Finn and stood there, a reassuring smile on her face.

"Finn, it's okay." she assured him. He didn't respond. It was as if he were oblivious to her presence.

"Finn?" she waited in silence for a few moments. Not receiving an answer, she sighed in annoyance.

"Finn, don't make me come in that silly mind of yours and snap you out of it myself." she grew more serious.

A blush graced her cheeks as an idea flashed into her mind. She twiddled her thumbs for a couple of seconds, before gaining the confidence to lean her face in closer to his. Her warm breath caressed against his skin for a couple of seconds, before she lightly brushed her lips against his own.

Finn's eyes widened as he was brought back into reality.

"Finn please, I don't want you to be sad. I've been sad for long enough. I know it might be hard, but please try for me..." her eyes were staring into his. She had the same look in her eyes that she had atop the burning city. She was staring right through his soul, asking him the same question she had asked him before, just by looking at him. "I might not have long left, let's just enjoy this while it lasts."

Flame Princess was meant to be more despaired then anyone. But here she was, a smile on her face, enjoying his presence. Even with everything that was happening, she wanted to stay happy. Maybe he could try for her as well.

He melted into her fiery embrace, a kiss describing a thousand feelings for them both.

**_~ End of Chapter 14. ~_**

**_Author's Notes: _**Well here's the long awaited explanation! Please review guys, it helps me a lot and makes me feel amazing ^_^.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on the next chapter!


	15. Rising Conflict

**_Author's Notes:_** Guys, I might sound a little needy, but PLEASE review after you read! It helps me a lot, more then everyone realizes and I love to hear your opinions on my work. If you could take just 30 seconds to write down a review, I would appreciate it so much :3.

Enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Rising Conflict_****, Chapter 15. -**

A dark silhouette stood out through the dead trees that surrounded the Candy Kingdom. It moved around the borders of the kingdom in patience, slowly absorbing the life force of all living things around it. It had turned the entire Cotton Candy Forest into a desolate plain of death and despair in a matter of hours. No animals moved within it, the plague had overtaken the land just as it had the people of the Candy Kingdom. The Lich was feeding off the chaos, growing stronger every second. Its plan formulating; the fools thinking they had it figured out, but they were wrong, so very wrong. The Lich knew everything, the Lich knew when and what they were doing. There would soon be no where to hide. They think they are safe. He had them all crowded up in a single place, sick and wounded, he could end the only resistance the land had to offer in an instant and take its greatest power. It was only a matter of time.

**~ ... ~**

A flurry of dark raven hair silently flew behind the trail of death, seeking to find the source of all the destruction. In just a few minutes the Cotton Candy Forest had been reduced to nothing but death and darkness. There was only one being capable of so much dark influence, she knew very well who it was. The land could very well be compared to the desolate plains of the Underworld, The Lich was said to be completely drained of power when his well was destroyed; it wasn't supposed to be able to draw so much power from everything around it. But there it was, draining the plants and soil of all life. She wondered if the rain had anything to do with it. Marceline edged closer, silently floating behind a tree. She was sure he wasn't aware of her presence; he could only sense living things, being the undead she was, she was the only one who could do something this dangerous.

She smirked at the thought, another thing Marceline the Vampire Queen can add to her list of feats: sneaking up on the Bane of all Life himself. Her father would be proud of course, if he were here to help. He had never cared for the fate of Ooo, he had let the Great Mushroom War happen; it was only once he remembered he had left a daughter in the war-raged dimension that he had come for a visit. He was more worried over his dominion over the Nightosphere than anything to do with her or the 'pathetic' dimension as he had described it. She questioned in her mind if her father could handle such a powerful being. Sure, he was powerful, the Lord of Evil, the ruler of the Nightosphere, but the Lich was a more ancient evil then he was. It is said that it even dates back to before the humans themselves. She shook the thoughts from her mind; her father wasn't coming to the rescue any time soon, she knew it all too well.

Nevertheless, she had to tell the others about this, she couldn't do anything by herself; the Lich was practically immortal until they can figure out a way to hurt him. As quickly as she had entered the scene, she flew off towards the castle, the sun beginning to glint over the horizon, marking the beginning of the rising conflict that was waiting to unfold.

**~ ... ~**

"The Lich would have had me lure Flame Princess outside the kingdom, absent you Finn. I'm not sure what he was planning afterwards, but now I have no way of restoring the candy people or Jake. We can only pray there's a cure to all of this." Princess Bubblegum was explaining the situation, pouring the truth out to them both.

Of course it hurt for her to lie, she still felt guilty about it. She had never wanted to become like her mother, but she knew she was slowly falling into the pit of lies and dishonor her mother had displayed across the Bubblegum name, it was time to stop while she still had sense left. All her life, her mother had lied, cheated and manipulated people to keep the kingdom and Ooo safe. What was the point in all of it if it made everyone unhappy? What's the point in living without happiness?

"What about the plague being contagious?" Finn inquired, now that PB had revealed the truth, anything she said before was possibly a lie.

He had forgiven her to an extent, he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily though. He almost enjoyed the superiority he had over the princess, she had tormented him with her age and maturity for so long and here he was, asking the questions.

He had moved on from the previous subject; it was too grim a topic to linger on for too long. Flame Princess wanted to be happy; she couldn't do that while he was worrying about her. If he loves her as much as he says he does, he should be the one to keep that smile on her face. She had so easily put one on his previously, the new marks on his lips a sure sign of it.

She stood directly beside him, listening as intently as he was. As complex and shocking everything was coming to both of them, they had handled it pretty well. Flame Princess had made her resolve, even with everything that's happened she had decided to forget about it all, even her own possible demise. She decided to fulfill her mother's last wish. All that was left was to help as much as she could, this place was important to Finn, so that meant it was to her too.

"I'm still not sure on that subject Finn, my gem of power was destroyed when you used it to release Flame Princess from the Lich's control." Princess Bubblegum responded to his question. "It's supposed to protect me from this plague. The Lich wasn't aware that it was destroyed. It still confuses me that it disappeared completely, if the object is destroyed, the essence inside it must've found something to bind into..." PB felt her heart leap as she realized the solution to the problem at hand could be so easily achieved.

"That's it!" the candy princess leaped out of her sitting position and almost ran to the other side of the room, searching through the drawers under multiple desks. She eventually pulled out a needle, raising it up and walking over to Flame Princess.

"Uh... what exactly are you doing princess?" the girl questioned, raising an eyebrow at her as the candy princess, who raised the needle above her arm.

"I just need to extract some blood from you. This could actually save everyone!" her face was overjoyed; finally a possibility of good news was within her reach.

"What could sav- ow!"

Without warning she slowly sunk the needle into the Flame Princesses arm, surely enough blood began to fill the tube of the needle, earning a light yelp from the fire elemental.

Finn had wondered if she bled the same as he did. He was beginning to realize that everything about her, other then the flaming exterior, was completely human. She was exactly like him. Maybe he could possibly consider himself one of two humans in the land of Ooo? It would be a nice thought, being the last human always brought a sense of loneliness to him, causing him to get all weird and soul-searchy most of the time. It made him feel better knowing that the other human was her.

"The gem's essence must have attached itself to your bodies, which explains why the rain had no effect on either of you! All I need is one sample and I'll be able to make a cure." she pulled the needle out of the girl's arms, who rubbed her new wound with a frown.

"I'll need to manufacture it in my lab. Finn, I'll need you to gather the candy people at the front of the hospital in an orderly line." without warning she ran out the door.

"Hey wait!" Flame Princess yelled out. Princess Bubblegum poked her head slightly through the door. "What do I do?"

PB frowned at her. "I'm not sure if I should have you moving around the castle, you might give my people a scare. They could explode if they were frightened enough."

Flame Princess rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously. "I think I may have already frightened them..." she smiled at Finn, who was reluctant to leave her. "It's okay Finn, I'll wait here with Jake."

Finn nodded with a smile, before running out the door.

**~ ... ~**

Marceline flew straight through the window, quickly darting through the room and out into the hall. The direction she had to go in now etched into her memory, she could no longer get lost in the maze of hallways. With her newfound sense of direction in the castle, she found herself locating the door that led to the hospital a lot faster then before. It was open, she caught glimpse of a few candy people all converged into a line. She floated into the doorway, a confused look on her face.

The entire kingdom was in an orderly line that went in columns across the room. Finn was standing at the front, trying his hardest to maintain the large group of candy people in order. Marceline floated slowly towards him, still curiously looking at the crowd. As she got closer, she hadn't noticed that he had spotted her.

"Marceline!"

Finn caught her attention; she turned her gaze towards him and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's up with this?" she gestured towards the crowd of candy people.

"PB found a cure for this plague! Everyone is saved!" Finn said excitedly, jumping around and almost bumping into one of the candy people.

"That's nice and all, but have you seen what's happening outside?" Marceline questioned, gesturing to the bordered windows around the room.

"Uh, nope." he stopped his enthusiastic behavior and walked towards a window, tearing off the wooden planks easily.

Marceline reeled back, moving away from the glaring sunlight. Finn gasped in shock as he saw a completely different world than the one he saw a couple of hours ago. Everything around the kingdom was completely dead; dark green energy rose out of the desolate land, dead trees littered the earth, it was as if something had killed everything in a ring around the kingdom. He could barely see over the horizon the green fields of the Grass Lands.

"It was the Lich. He's getting stronger every second we stay here Finn. I was thinking we could use those gems you used before. You know, from PB's hat."

"It's a crown!" Princess Bubblegum said irritated, walking into a witty comment from Marceline already. Finn glanced towards her, he yelped in excitement as he seen the yellow figure following behind her.

"Jake!" he yelled, running to the yellow dog. "You're okay!"

The dog looked at him wearily; he still seemed to be dazed from the experience. He's features were normal again though, his face wasn't devoid of life anymore.

"Y-yeah man... Peebles used this weird device on me." he shook his head, shaking of the dizziness he was feeling.

Finn was overjoyed he was alright, he always felt bad at the pit of his stomach whenever something happened to him; it was just an instinct he couldn't help.

"Did PB explain everything?"

Jake nodded at him, expressing his reluctance to waste the limited energy he had at the moment. Finn nodded at him, and turned towards Princess Bubblegum

"Peebles, we have a big problem!" he said frantically, gesturing towards the window. "The Lich is jacking up the trees and junk!"

The princess looked at him with a confused expression before walking towards the window. Her initial reaction was one of shock, her eyes scanned the massive range of dead life; a million thoughts seemed to be rushing through her mind before she turned to Finn and Jake. She straightened her figure, a look a ruler would give drawn across her face.

"I need you two to get down to the gates and open them so that the water can escape. The water shouldn't harm you now Jake, so you're fine for the task." she turned to the vampire queen, eyeing her down, daring her to try a witty comment. "... Marceline, I need you to take this device and use it on the candy people." she walked towards her, and pulled out a device from her lab coat.

The device consisted of multiple tubes flowing in and out of a metal blue cylinder. A faded light seemed to be flowing through the tubes, leading into the nozzle at the front.

"I know how you're like Marceline, but please tr-" Marceline let out an exasperated sound in annoyance.

"I've got it, Bonnie. Don't get your hair in a twist." the vampire queen took the device from her hand and inspected it curiously. "So how does this thing work anyway?"

Princess Bubblegum sighed, placing her palm against her face. Why does she keep using her name? Why did the decision of the naïve little girl she used to be have to come back around and bite her on the ankle? She hadn't known the importance of the royal names because she would always be ignorant to her mother's instructions. Even if her mother was a bad person, her teachings were still important in some aspects.

"Just... it's simple really, hit the button at the front and aim it at a sick person." she was trying desperately not to lose her patience.

"Like a gun?" Marceline questioned.

"Y-yes..." PB began to rush off to the door, not really paying attention to Marceline's question as her focus locked onto the task at hand.

Finn ran up behind her and grabbed her shoulder. "What will you do princess?" Finn didn't like this regular secretive attitude the princess kept having. Maybe she could do better with someone knowing more.

She turned around to the boy. "I'm going to make another device; we need a weapon to defeat the Lich."

"Y-yeah but..." Finn frowned, not really paying attention to the answer. "Just... don't try handle this alone, alright? We're here to help PB." he lowered his gaze. "I-I'll always care about you, no matter what happens."

She returned him a relieved smile, she felt thankful that Finn was her friend. She had never met such a good person before him. She was slowly starting to turn into her mother before Finn arrived into her life; the woman had left a bad influence on her after all. It killed her inside knowing that she almost lost him as a friend, she was beginning to learn that it was better to have friends around her, helping her, then trying to do everything on her own. Maybe it was time she started letting others think too, her intelligent mind couldn't comprehend everything.

"... Thanks Finn." he nodded at her, before releasing his grip on her shoulder.

"Take Flame Princess with you, just in case." He smiled at her; Finn thought it would be nice for them to spend some time together. With everything that's happened, the closer you are to the people around you, the better. The Lich will try to break everyone apart, send the kingdom into distress, but he was determined to not let that happen. He's only going to bring them closer together.

"... Sure." she answered, not sure of his intention, before running off down the hallway.

A few moments of silence passed, before Marceline began laughing hysterically.

"I'll always care about you." she mimicked, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.

Finn ignored her attempt to tease him, he was quite aware of her pranks now. He felt a little more mature then her in that area, but he knew too well to try and challenge a thousand year old vampire when it came to maturity.

"Jake and I will be back before you can say glob!" Finn said enthusiastically before back flipping out the window. Jake followed his movements, stretching under him and practically gliding out the window in a skillful fashion, Finn riding on his back.

"So how are we doing this anyway?" Jake asked as he stretched them down onto a chunk of debris.

"We're gonna punch it in the face!" Finn made punching actions into the air, his enthusiastic nature returning with his brother's health.

"Uh, I don't think PB wants us smashing her gate to pieces Finn." Jake said with a chuckle. "Maybe we should try opening it?"

Finn lowered his arms and frowned. "Uh, yeah... opening it..." the boy said, sounding disappointed.

"Then..." Jake un-stretched his body to become smaller, "... here..." he began to pull his body back, getting ready to propel them into the air. "... we..." he let himself go, launching his and Finn's bodies into the air. "... go!" Jake yelled; they literally flew over the debris that was the kingdom, the cold wind blowing against their faces. They landed skillfully on the wall, quickly running towards the gates.

"So how do we open it?" Finn questioned, inspecting the gates carefully.

"Punch it in the face?" Jake said, not really knowing how to follow through with his own plan.

Finn looked back at him, chuckling. He flipped around the gates and landed waist-deep in water. He stood there, adjusting to the soaked feeling on him before looking up at the wooden gate. The entire base of the building that was covering the entrance to the kingdom had surprisingly remained intact. He walked towards it and looked at the giant lock standing out in the middle of it. He inspected it carefully; it looked as if it could be released with enough effort. He pulled out his sword and leaped up the side of the gate, slashing his blade across the chain holding the lock in place. It made a large rattle sound, before the lock slid down and crashed into the water with a splash.

The water quickly rushed in through the weak gate, almost sweeping Finn off his feet before Jake flew under him and stretched the boy up to safety.

They watched the water gush out of the kingdom, slowly beginning to clear and reveal the true reality of the damage the storm had caused. The debris washed out with it, showing that there was almost nothing left of the kingdom but the bases of buildings. It felt really tragic for them both; this place had practically been a second home to them. Now it was gone; along with their real home.

They looked to the large door of the Candy Castle. It had suddenly been pushed open, the barricades releasing from their hinges as a vampire smashed through them with no effort at all. As Marceline came out the gates, a large crowd of candy people did too, murmuring in despair as they seen the state of their homes and businesses.

"It's gonna be hard fixing all of this." Jake said wearily. "You know they are gonna make us help right?"

"It's our heroic duty dude, we have to!" Finn reasoned, trying to pull Jake out of his negative mood.

"Ugh, fine man..."

**- End of Chapter 15. -**

**_Author's Notes:_** Sorry for the late-ish chapter guys, this one was harder to get out then expected, well... I finally got it out, please review guys! It DOES help me a lot, I really do appreciate it.

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on the next chapter!


	16. Wither

_**Author's Notes: **_Has anyone else seen the leaked images of the 'Vault of Bones' episode? You can find them on the AT Wiki. One of them shows another face close up, just like Burning Low... ugh! So much anxiety! Her current look in this chapter was inspired by the images ^_^ Just imagine the same thing but with long hair.

If anyone wants musical inspiration for a chapter, try 'Savior' by Rise Against. The lyrics pretty much describe everything about Finn and Flame Princess indirectly. It's actually surprising how close the lyrics are to this story.

I'm very sorry for the late chapter, enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Adventure Time.

_**~ Fiery Embrace ~**_

_**- Wither,**_ **Chapter 16 -**

The fire elemental curiously flickered through the lab, inspecting the various objects and small structures that were lying around the rather large underground room. The thing that had caught her attention the instant she walked into the lab was the massive tube in the middle; containing a fire-like orb that sparked in different directions. Princess Bubblegum had talked about many of her feats on the way to this place; mostly of her clone experiments, talks of failed candy creations was the topic she spent most of the time explaining. She spoke of a 'Lemongrab' character that she hadn't seen since she took her rule back from him. Some say he had been lurking around the kingdom as of late; but the lemon person hadn't been spotted since the storm. Another creation she had spoken of was two mighty sphinx creatures still at the top of the castle, locked in an 'eternal psychic battle' as she had described; they had built a building around them, to prevent anyone from ever interfering with such an event.

Everything she had spoken of either evolved candy, cloning, zombies, various different other subjects and explanations on creatures, she had no clue about. But what interest did she have in fire? Maybe it was another secret? The princess had told them that she had said everything she had to say and revealed every dark secret she had. If this was as important as all of the other things she had described, she would have told them about it.

But she couldn't shake off the feeling, the orb in the room felt almost similar to her in a way; she could _feel_ its presence in the room. There was something off about it, it constantly spun around and spat fire around the glass tube, providing light to the dark room around it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud boom-sound of the large metal door of the lab slowly opening. The candy princess was behind it, pushing the door with a large amount of effort. After she had made a suitable gap between the door, she exhaustedly leaned against it, gasping for air while she greeted the fire elemental with a tired, swayed hand gesture.

"S-sorry... s-so much r-running..." Princess Bubblegum gasped.

A smile fell onto the candy princess' features as she noticed how Flame Princess' eyes were curiously locked onto the orb of fire in the center. She seemed to be entranced in it, not surprising, of course. Seeing how the controlled flames were supposed to mimic the girl's reactions to everything. If released, it could cause more damage that the storm had.

If she was able to complete it, it could possibly save the elemental, if it were controlled correctly.

"Y-yeah... sure..." Flame Princess replied, not really paying attention, her amber eyes still locked onto the glass tube.

Princess Bubblegum chuckled wearily; still tired from the distance she had just covered in a matter of minutes. She edged through the crack in the door and walked towards the curious fire elemental.

"Wondering what that is?" she stood next to the young princess, gesturing to the glass tube before them.

"Uh y-yeah..." Flame Princess fell out of her trance and looked back towards the candy princess.

PB chuckled softly and lifted the girl's palm up with her own. A small burning sensation struck the candy princess, before she began to speak. "It's an old project I worked on when I was a kid, I decided to try and finish it after the events with the Lich."

She lifted her hand off the fire elemental.

"It's made to burn and react as you do. If I were to drop water on the fire, it would fade blue as you would. I'm using it to try and find a way for fire not to burn."

Flame Princess felt rather grateful that she would take the effort to do such a thing for her. Princess Bubblegum had clearly felt bad about everything the entire time, it was foolish of her to do what she did, but it was more foolish for the fire elemental to believe that she hadn't felt the slightest bit of guilt towards her actions. Maybe it was time she began accepting the candy princess, maybe even becoming friends with her?

"... So, have you figured it out yet?" Flame Princess asked, not really getting her explanation.

"No silly." Princess Bubblegum chuckled. "I just explained I'm still trying to figure it out."

"Well I didn't know..." Flame Princess blushed at her stupidity, deepening its tone of red as Princess Bubblegum continued to laugh lightly at her. "I didn't know! Shut up!"

The fire elemental flared up lightly at the princess, her amber skin glowing a brighter orange for a moment. Princess Bubblegum shrieked in fear and quickly darted away towards a table to the side of the room before she could aggravate the hostile elemental any further. She assorted through the many drawers that covered the table, quickly finding what she was looking for as she pulled out a light-blue vial.

"We'll be ready this time Lich." she spoke softly.

**~ ... ~**

Finn approached the working progress of what used to be a small candy home. He pushed a wheelbarrow across the ground, carrying many types of different building materials inside. It was quite strange to see the amount of different things that were used to build the homes and business of the Candy Kingdom. Everything inside was completely assorted, from bricks to wood, candy to stone, the kingdom was made up of so many different things.

Finn had been carrying the items from the castle to wherever it was needed for the whole day as Peppermint Butler had instructed. It was a tedious work; his body was tiring and he was lazily pushing the wheelbarrow without any sense of direction. The sun was beginning to glint orange over the horizon, marking the end of the long day. They had made good progress in the short time; the kingdom already looked like it was taking shape. Jake was somewhere else in the destroyed kingdom, helping out in similar way. He wouldn't get as tired as easily as he had in the past couple of hours though; being a magical dog had its benefits.

He rolled the wheelbarrow onto its side with a gasp of relief, letting all the contents fall onto a platform held in place by ropes that connected to the base of the incomplete building, acting as an elevator to pull the materials up and down. He fell onto the floor, exhausted from all the hard labor. It wasn't something he was new to; he had practically labored around Ooo half his life helping people, now all of a sudden his limitless energy had left him. Growing up wasn't as math as it seemed.

A familiar flicker of light caught his attention on his way back to the castle, his eyes darted towards the source before he stumbled back in surprise, dropping the wheelbarrow and falling onto his back.

Flame Princess had appeared right in front of him, flashing her cheerful smile as always.

"Hi Finn!" she greeted, amused at his reaction.

"You've got to stop scaring me like tha-" his gaze drifted towards her, she was wearing a different outfit than usual, it was a small red dress that reached above chest height, an edged, darker red pattern covered the edges while a lighter shade tightened around her waist and the bottom that drifted down around her in a circle, red flames drifting upwards from the sides. Her hair drifted down her back for the first time since he saw her, the girl's gentle curves standing out against her long strands.

Her amber skin glowed bright against the faded image of the castle, it being blurred out by her literally flaming aura. He once again found himself staring at the half-fire elemental, his eyes drifting to places his common decent mind wouldn't dare to allow. He couldn't describe her in any other way, she was _beautiful_. The word echoed throughout his mind over and over. A rush of embarrassment filled his cheeks as he realized that he really wanted to say it. A moment of silence passed and it was only once he had noticed the confused expression on her face as she noticed his stare that he finally lowered his gaze.

He blushed nervously and cursed himself silently for being so indecent. This was Flame Princess, _his princess. _Here he was gawking at her while she had no idea of the meaning behind his stares.

"Finn?" she inquired with a confused look.

"S-sorry..." he ungracefully pushed himself up from the ground, his body now directly in front of hers. He could feel the heat coming off the fire elemental, it felt comforting in a way.

"For what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He stood frozen at the question. "U-uh... nothing..." he was mentally cursing himself, he should be trying to enjoy these moments with her, not letting them fade with his stupid teenage urges. Who knows how long until... ugh, now he was pondering on _that_ topic.

What was with him and all of these emotions? He almost missed his naïve, young boy years. He would have never been able to comprehend the type of things he was feeling, the constant enthusiastic mood and endless energy he had felt rather proud of was disappearing. It was being replaced by a Finn he wasn't sure he wanted to turn into.

"Finn, you're getting all weird again."

"O-oh... sorry." he shook his head to pull himself out of his muck. He looked towards the fallen wheelbarrow, luckily he was on his way back to the castle to get the materials; it would have been a disaster if Flame Princess surprised him on the way into the kingdom.

"How'd it go with PB? Has she finished yet?" he asked, breaking the rather annoying silence that continued to intrude on their moments.

"I don't know, she was being boring so I snuck out to see you..." she rubbed the back of her head grinning. "I think I may have scared her too. I'm not good at making friends."

"Maybe you should try harder with PB." Finn smiled. "She is your cousin after all."

She stood dumbfounded at the statement. It just didn't sound right. _Cousin_. That meant she was... family, right? Why did the word sound so foreign to her? It was almost as if she didn't want any more family. They had just caused hurt to her throughout her life, she wanted to stay happy.

"I'm never going to get used to that." Flame Princess stated, earning an amused laugh from Finn.

"C'mon, we can talk while I tow this thing." he stopped his laughing and leaned over the wheelbarrow. He grabbed the handles and with a large amount of effort, pulling the heavy object up off the ground.

Flame Princess stood there in nervousness, not really knowing if she should follow him or not. The princess had warned her that if the candy people were frightened enough (which she was good at making people feel.) they could _literally_ explode. She had felt rather lonely by herself in the castle for the hours they were gone. She didn't like feeling of being lonely; she couldn't think of any worse feeling. The last thing she wanted was to go back in there, to try and reach an understanding with her _cousin_ or scare a candy person _literally_ to death by accident. Maybe it was better to go with Finn.

She hadn't noticed how long she had been standing there in awkwardness as Finn had been waiting for her the entire time. She came back to reality and looked to the boy in front of her with a nervous smile.

"S-sure, but Finn?" the girl asked.

"Yeah...?"

"Thank you." she bit her lip, reluctant to speak.

"For what?" a confused frown fell onto Finn's face.

She shook the topic off, wanting to get on with their... walk? Stroll? Outing? None of the words sounded right to her. She stood there in thought for a moment, when she had finally found the word she was looking for, the half-fire elemental blushed at the thought; _their date._

"Should we get going then?" she flickered around him, spiraling in a ring of flames that dispersed into the air, before she appeared a few meters from him. "Come on!" she practically loved the idea of a date.

"Oh no, she's running again." Finn said with an exhausted grunt, a smile still on his face as he pushed the wheelbarrow forward, trying to keep up with the girl, the two dashing off past the sunset.

**~ ... ~**

Something powerful was stirring, she could _feel_ it. It's power could not be denied, it was a relentless, ancient, undead necromancer capable of leveling continents with any way it seemed fit. Why had it, the Lich, waited so long to make its move? What had been so important for it to wait so long? She disregarded the fact that the Lich could grow this powerful off the living things around it, now it was too late. She couldn't do a thing in the current conditions. Here she was, cowering behind a chunk of wooden debris somewhere behind the castle in her bat form, retreating to the safety of the shadows while the sun passed over. If only she could warn them somehow, being an undead creature of evil, she could sense anything else that was part of that alignment. She could even raise the dead as the Lich could, but it was nothing compared to whatever her vampire senses were detecting.

Marceline only hoped the sun would go down so she could warn them; it may already be too late for them all. She cursed herself mentally for being so stupid as to lose her umbrella. She had misplaced it while relaxing lazily in the shade. Her stupid habit of losing things could cost her friend's lives.

Her anxious behavior was cut off by the sound of a slab of stone pushing itself out of the castle's walls and smacking into the ground with a thump. She listened for any other type of sound for a couple of seconds before she heard the same sound of the slab being pushed back into the wall. She caught a flash of pink dart into view; she immediately noticed the golden crown and long gooey hair of Bonnibel Bubblegum moving quickly past her. She held an odd looking device in her hand; it had blue-glowing tubes protruding out of it, similar to the one they used to cure the candy people. She must have been using some of the many secret exits scattered throughout the castle. Marceline knew of some of them herself, once upon a time when the princess was a little girl, she would show her the secret exits to get away from her bossy mother.

"Bonnibel!" she yelled out almost desperately, a blush covered her cheeks as she realized how pitiful she sounded.

The pink princess looked around in confusion for a moment, not knowing where the source of the sound was coming from. Marceline's desperate cry didn't make it any easier for her to recognize the voice either.

"Bonnie, down here!" she lowered her tone of voice.

"Marceline?" it seemed to work, she had called out her name. A few seconds of examining her surroundings and Bonnibel had spotted the small bat hiding under the wooden debris.

"Huh? What are you doing under there?" Bonnibel raised an eyebrow at her.

Marceline sighed in annoyance and pointed upwards. "Sun?" she stated flatly.

A stupid expression was drawn across the princess' face for a couple of seconds before she realized what she was saying. "Oh, the sun."

"Yes genius, the sun exists..." she stopped her mocking and remembered the danger present. "Princess, I think the Lich is coming. I can sense something nearby, it sounds lik-"

Her voice was cut off by a massive rumbling sound. A few moments of silence passed before it came again, even louder this time. The quiet scene of the Candy Kingdom turned to absolute chaos as the entire foundations of the outside walls broke into many chunks of debris and crashed to the ground.

Shocked cries and desperate screams could be heard in every direction as the Candy Kingdom turned to darkness as a murky, demonic essence enveloped the kingdom.

**- End of Chapter 16 -**

_**Author's Notes: **_Tried to make this as big a build up as any, this arc of the story is getting close to its massive climax; I hope you all enjoy it!

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on the next chapter!


	17. It hurts

**_Author's Notes:_** Vault of Bones was amazing! Which one was everyone's favorite quote from the episode? This was mine:

_"Uh, next time we should go to a farmer's market."_ - Finn

_"And burn it."_ - Flame Princess

That made my day :D!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**_- _****_It hurts,_**** Chapter 17 -**

The kingdom's now destroyed walls were slowly decaying, now turning a murky-green rather than a light grey before thin shreds began breaking apart from it, literally evaporating into the air. The ground was beginning to fade grey in a circle around the castle, the dark, decaying magic slowly creeping up on the land around them. Frightened candy people stood in horror as they watched the decaying power slowly coming towards them, not sure on whether it was safe or not. One candy person, more daring then the others, walked towards it, earning desperate shouts from the ones behind him. He slowly raised a finger over the soil, nothing happened. He turned around and shrugged at them, flashing a cocky grin. But then a loud scream of agony was heard as his finger slowly began to turn grey, a line of decay running up his arm and enveloping his entire body. He struggled in the grasp of the death itself, grey shreds of his body evaporating into the air before he dropped down, dead.

More horrified gasps were heard from the candy people as they all turned around and ran in a cluster of panic and terror. People were falling over, pushing and shoving to get as far away from the wall of death as possible. They were surrounded; there was no escape. The ground around them was literally untouchable, as well as the air around it.

The stench of death and rotten was beginning to fill their noses as a murky, grey mist rose out of the ground, surrounding the kingdom in its sightless shroud. Vision was reduced to a few feet in front of them; they could barely see the outlines of the dead trees and hills behind the fog.

Princess Bubblegum came running out from behind the castle to witness the chaotic scene, her eyes widened in shock and terror as she saw the hard efforts of her people began to crumble to dust once again.

She began to struggle to come up with a plan, her intelligent thoughts snuffed out by the desperate cries of her people as they all ran in any direction possible trying to get away from the wall of death. They were all running aimlessly from the hidden danger. She had to get them in line, the center would be the safest place in this chaotic state, and they had to get to high ground as fast as possible.

"Bonnie, what the stuff is going on out there?!" Marceline asked behind the princess' neck, hiding from the sunlight under her long strands of bubblegum. "I think I got my foot stuck in your hair. Ew..."

PB let out an exasperated sigh in annoyance. "Would you be quiet for once!?" she snapped, sick of the vampire queen's interruptions. And she had wondered why she stopped talking to her long ago? She looked into the sky and realized the sun was completely obscured by the thick mist.

She ignored the defiant shouts of the Vampire Queen as she reached behind her neck and grabbed the transformed girl before literally throwing her out into the opening. Marceline tumbled onto the floor, sitting there in confusion for a moment before she caught sight of the scene around her. She seemed to actually be feeling something; her body was shivering slightly and her face an almost dire look. Her features returned to normal as a determined look fell onto her face. She turned into her normal, vampire form before turning to the princess.

"I'll ignore you tossing me like a beach ball for now Bonnie, we need to find Flame Princess, she's what the Lich is after!" she looked back towards the frightened candy people, then back to the princess. "You might want to get them inside too, I'll look for FP." she wasted no time, flying backwards and over the kingdom in search of the fire elemental.

Princess Bubblegum stood there almost in awe; she had never seen Marceline so eagerly take charge of a situation. Whatever she was feeling, it must have been terrifying in order to frighten the vampire so much.

Following the queen's newfound determination, PB ran out in front of the crowd of candy people, gesturing for all of them to stop. As soon as they saw their ruler, they all stopped in their tracks, still anxious to get past but still respectful enough to stop with their ruler in their presence.

"I need everyone to get into the castle, head straight to the top!" they didn't move for a couple of seconds, the heat of the moment had left them all frightened, but confused. "Quick, there's no time to waste!" she yelled at them this time, earning shocked yelps from the candy people as they rushed past her towards the castle...

There were definitely more of them throughout the kingdom, and she had to save as many as she could. After making sure they had all made it safely past her, the candy princess looked over the mound of death, into the dark mist beyond. She could barely make out a dark figure, two glowing green eyes and a feeling of dread as it faded behind the obscure fog.

**~ ... ~**

Flame Princess had stopped flickering about to walk slowly towards the entrance of the castle with her bear-capped date, enjoying the peaceful moment they had together. A light smile remained on her face as she walked beside him, they had a wonderful day, even under all the circumstances; they had managed to turn every bit of sadness around. The two had just been aimlessly wandering around the kingdom after Finn had finished helping out the candy people. It didn't matter where they went, it was just a sweet day of bliss for her, they finally got the time they wanted so dearly, just being with each other. It felt as if nothing could go wrong from there on out, as they approached the exit of the Candy Castle after Finn had toured her through the many places inside. They stopped and faced each other.

"So what happens now?" Flame Princess asked curiously, she wasn't sure what they were going to do in the current situation.

"I guess we need to find a way to stop the Lich." he sighed, looking out towards the nearby window. He was scanning the trail of dead life around the kingdom, he had no idea what the Lich was planning with all of it; they just had to find a way to stop it. However, not wanting to ruin the day, he turned to her and smiled. "Maybe after all of this is over, we can rebuild the tree house... you could live with me and Jake..."

Her features lit up. "R-really?" she replied joyfully, she had never really had a true home before. The first four years of her life, though being better then the following eight years, she remembered that she was never really happy. The enclosed walls of the kingdom had never been a real home. She was a free spirit; she hated isolation above everything else. That place made her feel exactly that, there was nothing left in the Fire Kingdom for her. She could live the rest of her life with Finn, and be happy with the time she had left.

"Yeah, of course! We could even play BMO whenever he comes back..." he placed his hand behind his head and laughed lightly. "I could also make you a better room; I don't think a pile of junk is suitable for a princess, hehe..."

She smiled intently at him. "I don't care about that, you should know that by now, Finn." she rubbed her arm nervously. "I'm happy by just being with you. Anything but that lamp will be perfect..."

Finn frowned at the mention of the lamp, he still had no clue what she experienced for those eight years, so it was hard for him to understand how she could be so happy with everything that had happened; with everything that was going to happen. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, even though he hadn't known her for that long, he already feared the day she would leave him; the fact that she was going to die, the fact that there was nothing he could do to prevent it. It scared him. He had been hiding his sadness the entire day, trying to make it fade behind the happy moments they had together, but he was very slowly falling again into despair.

Flame Princess could obviously see through his faked mood; as she frowned at him.

"Finn, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself all day." Finn didn't answer; she stood there, waiting, until he turned his head nervously. "I can understand with everything that's happened..."

"Do you really want to know?" he replied almost sternly.

She reeled back from him astonished, shocked by his sudden aggravation. "Just tell me Finn." she said calmly, trying to ignore it. "You know you can tell me, I'll understand."

"I can't stand this anymore..." his eyes drifting to the ground. "How can you expect me to understand? How can you expect me to be so calm? Take a look at what's going to happen." he looked back up at her. "You expect me to be happy when you're going to die?"

"But I thought..." she stepped closer to him.

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter..."

She was still desperately trying to stay calm, not wanting to ruin the whole day. Her body was shaking. "Finn, I know it's hard for you, I understand. It's hard for me too." How could he suddenly act like this? Had he been bottling this up all day?

"No! You don't understand!" he suddenly burst out. "How can you expect me to just ignore something like that? You're going to die and there's nothing you or me can do about it. How can you just accept it so calmly, and just disregard how I feel about it?"

"I just can't help it Finn! If I am going to die, could we at least enjoy this instead of talking about it? Please?"

"Or we can do something about it! I'm not going to sit here and watch you die, you're so naïve!" he burst out before realizing what he had just said, his face showing he regretted it.

Flame Princess looked visibly hurt, and then she flared up. How could he say something like that? Her eyes started swelling up with tears. "Naïve huh? Sure! I spent eight years in a lamp; I'm just the naïve princess from the Fire Kingdom who can't understand anything! So naïve I was stupid enough to trust you!" she raised her hand to slap him and hesitated. She looked into his eyes; she just couldn't do it. It wasn't like the first time she met him, where she was still naïve about the world, she had grown up now. She loved this boy; she couldn't just cause him pain as he had just so easily done to her.

Lowering her arm, she looked at him one last time, a distraught look drawn across her features. She stormed out of the castle, leaving a blazing trail of fire behind her.

Finn stood there, not knowing whether to chase after her or not. His anger began to fade, his mind clearing. It was only when the blazing trail had disappeared into a burnt line of ash had he realized what he had just done. He promised that he would be there for her, that nothing bad would happen to her. He promised that everything would be okay. He immediately regretted his actions; he burst from his position and leaped down the stairs, running out the door of the Candy Castle.

"Flame Princess!" he called after her desperately. He ran out into the open, there was no sign of her. How could he be so stupid? All of that buildup sadness had made him forget about his words for a moment, disregard everything he had promised her. He was the naïve one, as much as he thought he was growing up, this fire elemental was more mature then he would ever be. He had to find her.

A massive explosion of noise suddenly fell onto his ears, making him reel back in shock as he looked out to the scene in front of him. The walls had suddenly been destroyed, a thick mist was closing in on the kingdom, the soil around it decaying and polluting the atmosphere with the stench of death. It looked like the Lich had made his move. As much as he wanted to look for Flame Princess, the kingdom was now in trouble and he had to do something about it. His eyes darted over the kingdom, the people were frightened. He stood there, thinking for a few moments, thinking of what to do. His mind clicked. He had to find PB as soon as possible; she was the only one who knew how to stop the Lich.

He began to run down the stairs, before he could reach the end however, a large flash of yellow appeared over the side of the castle, landing directly in front of Finn, a bunch of candy people in the dog's hands.

"Quick, get to the top of the castle guys!" Jake commanded, letting go of the candy people in his arms.

"Jake, what's going on?" Finn yelled above the sounds of the frantic candy people as they rushed past him. Jake, only now just noticing his presence exclaimed in relief.

"Finn!" he exclaimed running over to the boy. "We couldn't find you man, I thought you got caught in that thing!" he pointed towards the wall of death that was slowly closing in around the castle. Finn had only just noticed; it was pushing inwards towards the castle, completely surrounding the kingdom.

"Marceline thinks the Lich is after Flame Princess, she's looking for her now. She was with you wasn't she?" Jake questioned him, confused; the two had spent the day together, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Finn's head lowered with guilt. "I... I said some really bad stuff to her Jake."

"Well why'd you do that?" Jake asked in a confused tone.

The boy could only stand there feeling sad and subdued, it was all his fault. She was now in danger because of him. "It's all my fault man! I got angry because of her condition, I-I didn't mean to... I just..." he looked away, tears swelling up in his eyes. "She ran away Jake, I can't find her!" he sobbed.

Jake grabbed him, stretching his arms around the boy and lifting him up off the ground. "Cheer up man, we'll find her! You just can't be sayin' mean stuff to your lady. Especially a girl like Flame Princess..." Jake stretched his body to a larger size and placed Finn onto his back.

"What do you mean _'a girl like Flame Princess'_?" Finn asked wiping his eyes, confused at the sudden statement.

"Well, I've noticed something about her, Finn." He began to speak in a more adult demeanor. "Flame Princess is a wonderful girl; she's super nice and has this awesome view of everything around her!" Jake started enthusiastically as he jumped over the side of the castle, landing on the other side with little effort.

"But it's also really hard to win her trust. If you've lost it, it's not going to be easy getting it back..." Jake frowned. "You're really lucky to have her man; you don't want to lose what you two have."

Finn's face lowered at the statement. What if she never trusts him again? He had done exactly what she made him promise not to... she had probably completely lost faith in him already.

"Don't worry Finn; what you two have is special. She'll come around."

With everything that's happened, everything they had been through... How could he suddenly betray her, just like that? He only hoped that their time together could remind her of the real him, not the one blinded by sadness and anger. Maybe she could come around...

"Thanks Jake."

**~ ... ~**

Streams of tears flew past her face as she moved around the kingdom. She was flickering aimlessly; trying to get away. It didn't matter where she went; she just had to get as far away as possible. But that was the problem, she couldn't. Suddenly everything had gone to chaos and people were dying in the decaying soil that was slowly approaching around the entire kingdom. She searched desperately for any sort of gap in the decay that would allow her to get away from him. He had hurt her; she knew it wasn't his fault, it was hers. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. How could she expect him to ignore something like that? She let him get too close to her, she had been taught her whole life by experience that you shouldn't get close to people. The closer you get, the more you get hurt. That's what had happened to Finn... maybe if he just listened to her from the start, maybe none of this would've happened. She had to disappear forever, she had to leave.

How could anyone put up with someone like her? She clutched at her aching chest. Why was it aching? This feeling always came when she felt sad, she had never heard of any other fire elementals experiencing such a thing. Maybe it was just her; she was different from the rest after all. She didn't belong in this world; there was no one else like her. She was alone and Finn's reaction proved it. Even he, of all people, couldn't handle the nuisance that was Flame Princess. She had made his life hell from the very beginning; the slap she gave him when she first met him had sealed their fate from the very start. It was an omen, a sign. She should've gone back to the Fire Kingdom at once, stay in her lamp, just so she could never be an inconvenience to anyone else again.

As she circled around the kingdom, she found herself standing in a small garden, unable to go further. The dark soil had pushed forward around the castle, closing the gap that was her exit. She turned to go back, but quickly found herself unable to. The soil had pushed around her, she was completely surrounded. She looked back towards the castle walls; she couldn't see any type of window anywhere. It would be impossible for her to make it up in time. She stood defeated, wondering why she had ever existed. What higher power would allow someone to experience such torture, struggle and so much pain to just end it like this, mangled and screaming in agony as death itself took over her body?

It would be better for everyone if she were to just plunge herself into the dark soil and end it all right there. She didn't need to ponder on it, ending her life would put an end to all the pain she could put anyone else through. Especially him...

Flame Princess took a step forward, a final tear falling from her eye as she plunged into the darkness. Maybe it was the approach of her death, or the immense emotion she was feeling in the moment; she couldn't stop thinking about her mother.

**_~ ... ~_**

"Mommy; Daddy won't play with me!" _a small, blazing girl complained as she ran across the large courtyard of the Fire Kingdom; towards an elegant fire elemental, an older, spitting image of the little girl approaching her._

_The woman smiled at the sight of her three-year old daughter, soon to be turning four. It didn't last for long however, as she noticed the multiple cuts and bruises across her arms and legs._

_The Flame Queen sighed._ "Fiamma, didn't I tell you to be careful? Why do you keep hurting yourself?" _she scolded at the little girl as she approached her._

"I'm not hurting myself, things are hurting me."_ Flame Princess replied rather sadly, pointing to the ground; her naïve concept of the world showing with her young age. She paused for a moment and then remembered the reason why she had come._ "Daddy won't play with me!"_ she repeated._

"Then why don't you go play in the fields? Daddy might be busy right now."_ she smiled, hoping her daughter would forget about her ignorant father. He was a good man, but not a good father. It just wasn't what he was good at._

"But... it hurts."_ the young girl frowned._

"That's what happens when you go falling over everywhere!"_ the Flame Queen laughed lightly. _

"No... it hurts here."_ Flame Princess clutched at her chest. _"When Daddy left me, it hurt here."

_Suddenly the Flame Queen couldn't help but feel a torrent of sadness overflow her. The feeling her daughter was speaking of... Maybe it was the fact they were different, that they differed from their own kind. No one in the kingdom had to carry the burden that they did, to feel real pain when they felt sad. The void she always felt in her chest, it would carry on to her very own daughter. She didn't want her to suffer the fate she had. Her daughter was to naïve to understand, she could only comfort her through it._

_The Queen fell to her knees in front of her daughter and embraced her._

"I know Fiamma..."_ she pressed her daughter's body against her own, finding as much comfort in the little girl as she did in her._ "It hurts me too."

**- End of Chapter 17 -**

**_Author's Notes:_** So I did my research before I decided on her name. Turns out 'Fiamma' means _flame_. I think I've seen someone else have the name before, I can't remember which fic though, so I'm sorry if anyone believes this to be copying; I just found it while searching for names and really liked it.

The next couple of chapters are going to be very special for a specific reason, keep reading and find out ^_^!

As always, did you enjoy the chapter? What should I improve? What would you like to see in the story? Leave it in your review! I'll see everyone on the next chapter!


	18. Underestimate

**_Author's Notes: _**I'm really sorry for the late chapter guys, I had a lot of trouble with friends and time schedules, it got me really distressed and I just couldn't find it in myself to write the chapter. Hopefully my updates will start getting as fast as they used to be, we're nearing the finale so I don't want to keep everyone hanging so long.

I feel like I'm giving off a greedy image here, but reviews are the only way I know people are enjoying my work. If people stop reviewing, it gets me a little worried. I'm almost at 50 followers now, 6 reviews for a chapter just feels a little disheartening for me... C'mon guys, put me at ease here and leave a quick review x).

There's also a certain reference here to something somewhere, let's see who notices it :P.

Enjoy the chapter! Also, for all those wondering, for the sake of the plot, Clarence does not exist in this story.

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- ****_Underestimate, _****Chapter 18 -**

"This is so lumpin' stupid! Where the lump are we anyway?!" the purple, bumpy figure of Lumpy Space Princess complained as she floated impatiently through the more thick parts of the cotton-candy forest, alongside her temporary companion, Ghost Princess. "It's starting to get all foggy and junk."

"_It feels like we're getting close... I can sense the dead with my crown... It has magical powers... It looks like it's coming from the Candy Kingdom._" Ghost Princess replied in her spooky, echoing voice. Her murky, blue glow seemed to be standing out against the dark shadow the mist was creating, creating an eerie glow around them. She seemed quite focused on her task, paying no mind to the annoyed complaints of the girl beside her. She had sensed the undead presence while haunting the dark forest, she happened to come by LSP's camp as she began mumbling about a possible guy that she could find. The lumpy princess began following her, expecting to find some 'hot dudes', as she explained it.

LSP seemed to puff up in anger. "Did you just say dead? You mean we're looking for dead guys?! I don't want no lumpin' dead guy! I only followed you because you started talking about some lumpin' dudes!" she started mumbling random exclamations of anger under her breath, annoyed that she had come this far for nothing.

Ghost Princess turned to her and frowned. "_S-sorry_..." the ghost exclaimed nervously. "_I should have mentioned that earlier. I could sense the undead coming from somewhere here..._" she seemed to be lost in a trance of bliss, thinking of all the possibilities after she found this odd undead presence that seemed to be emanating from the Candy Kingdom. It felt... powerful, its presence was rather strong, which was actually a feat that was praised among her kind. She didn't pay much mind to the fact that undead aren't usually allowed in the kingdom, she was more focused on finally finding someone for her out there, as every princesses dream was.

"Ugh, it's fine... Let's just go see what Bubblegum's up to." she floated quickly through the mist, cold air rushing against her rough skin. The further she got into the mist, the quicker she began to realize she had lost every sense of direction around her. "Ghost Princess?" she exclaimed and backed up nervously. She felt the bottom of her body come in contact with what felt like a log, sending her tumbling down a hill that suddenly came to meet her face to face as she smacked onto it. Her plump body made odd sounds that you would hear from a stress toy when you squeezed it, as she tumbled down the hill letting out moans of pain...

She finally felt herself dragging her face along flat ground, dirt rising off the soil as she planted her figure onto it, groaning in pain. LSP could hear the familiar sound of Ghost Princess in the distance, her hovering sound clear amongst the dead silence that surrounded them. "_LSP? You okay_?" Ghost Princess called out. Lumpy Space Princess raised herself off the ground at the call, wiping the rocks and soil that had littered all over her face.

"Ugh... I'm sick of this lumpin' forest..." she looked towards Ghost Princess, who had made her way down the jagged hill and was now in front of her. "Y-yeah I'm fine... where's the lumpin' Candy Kingdom anyway?" she was feeling pretty aggravated by now. Turns out she had been following Ghost Princess for practically no reason, only to brutally fall down a hill. She hoped her lumps hadn't been severely damaged...

"_Right in front of us._.." Ghost Princesses voice seemed to lower a bit, as she viewed the scene in front of them. They could barely see what looked like the outlines of the crumbled walls of the Candy Kingdom, everything around it was dead. The trees had been reduced to dark twists of wood rising out of the ground, every flower had withered and died. There was also something off about the soil, it didn't feel right...

"_Don't move any further_." Ghost Princess warned LSP quickly before she could go forward. She didn't really have any command in her voice, being the nervous princess she was. LSP couldn't take her seriously...

"Huh? Why not?" LSP asked rather defiantly.

Ghost Princess pointed to a stick on the ground. "_Throw that stick forward_."

LSP looked at her confused for a second, but suddenly gave into the princess' commands. She actually seemed pretty serious about what she was saying. She leaned over and grabbed the stick before throwing it onto the soil in front of her.

For a second, nothing happened; she shrugged and almost turned to look away from it, when it suddenly started shriveling up into a black, twisted twig. Grey shreds began rising from it before it completely evaporated into thin air. At closer inspection, she could see the rest of the trees were slowly following the same process.

"Woah! I'm totally telling Melissa about this." LSP flicked out her phone in a flash, quickly dialing specific numbers on the pad.

"_W-wait_!" Ghost Princess raised her hand towards her frantically. "_Maybe the kingdom is in trouble... we have to go find help."_

LSP pouted for a second, realizing that she was right. "Ugh, fine. They better give me a lumpin' award for this!" her features grew more excited at the thought. "Yeah! The great LSP saving the candy people!" she began shaking her lumps around, showing off her rather odd personality. "Mom and Dad would be so proud!"

**~ ... ~**

As she fell into the darkness, the return of her memories clouding her senses, she hadn't noticed that her body hadn't met the decaying cold earth, or felt pain that was supposed to be coursing itself through her body, decaying and killing her from the inside. She let herself go limp for a couple of moments, oblivious to the world around her.

When she had finally regained her senses, she realized she was feeling something quite different than the agony she was supposed to be experiencing. Her body felt numb and freezing, she was a fire elemental, so how was that possible? She opened her eyes slowly, gasping in horror as her eyes met his. Two terrifying green orbs were staring straight through her, etched onto a face only a shocked gasp could describe. The dark, floating silhouette of the Lich stood out against the thick mist, his necromancer robes drifting gloomily around him as he let out a cackle of laughter.

"Now, we couldn't have that happening, could we?" the Lich cackled. "Foolish girl, I begun absorbing the life of everything around the castle, pushing you all to the center to make it easier to find you, then I discover you all alone, already keen to become one of my many undead puppets..." he paused for a second, anger boiling behind his green orbs. "So eager to die, you might have to wait a little longer, but I promise you..." The Lich jerked her body violently, making the elemental scream in pain as he tightened his grip around her. "Your death will come soon enough for all the trouble you've caused me..." he gritted his teeth.

She suddenly started struggling to move away, her arms struggling to slide out of the Lich's bony grasp. Her body began shooting out waves of fire rapidly, seemingly having no effect on the undead being. "What do you want with me?!" she yelled as tears began to flow down her face. "Why me?" she attempted to morph into fire, but as she tried, a red-like aura began flowing off her, making her color dim and seeping into the Lich's body.

Small lines of fire began running up the Lich's arm, running over his shoulders and eventually covering his entire body in a blazing aura. "You hold the key to this world's destruction, a goal I have long since desired. Now that you have absorbed the essence of the gem of power, I cannot longer possess you." the Lich ran his cold finger up her neck, making her shiver as he held her chin roughly. "But there are other methods... I will make your power my own. Then I'll start with this pitiful castle, along with that human boy..." the Lich's dark features seemed to boil up at the thought of Finn, his newfound flaming aura blazing around him.

At the mention of Finn's name, Flame Princess' began struggling even more. "N-no not Finn..." she could feel her power leaving, her body dimming and becoming weaker. But she kept struggling, desperately trying to just end it all right there. No matter what she did, she would always hurt him. She hurt him by being with him, by leaving him, by touching him. And now, when she finally decided to put an end to it all, to stop the cycle that plagued them both for so long, she would be forced to be the tool that would kill him. Why couldn't it stop? When would it end? She was a curse to the world simply by being alive; the Lich was going to make use of that. Maybe what her father said was true, she was evil. Maybe in her own little world she tried not to be, but she just couldn't be good. Everything she had ever done hurt people somehow. Ultimately, the last thing she done would hurt everyone.

"Vampire kick!" a familiar voice suddenly yelled, she felt the Lich's grasp release on her, his body flung sideways, sending Flame Princess flying across the grass towards the wall. Feeling a small portion of her strength coming back to her, she released flames around her in a panic, turning the grass underneath her into ashes as she tumbled down onto it, smacking her head against the ground.

Her senses were still dazed, her eyesight blurry from the fall, but she could make out the figure of Marceline above her, floating down towards her in what seemed like a hurry. Hear ears were buzzing, but a faint sound of the vampire yelling could be heard through it.

"Get up! We have to get out of here!" she could hear the vampire commanding. She shook her head to get rid of her dizziness, and looked to the side to see the massive, flaming figure of the Lich rising up out of the decaying mist. He turned to look at the fire elemental, his green orbs blazing with a deep anger.

Flame Princess pushed herself up and off the ground and stood there motionless, staring into the angry eyes of the Lich. She shivered, why was she cold? She raised her hands up in front of her and looked down at them. Her fire was dimmer then usual, but it was still blazing. She suddenly felt extremely weak, her body unable to move.

"Stop standing there and move!" Marceline yelled at her. The fire elemental in front of her looked distressed, lost. She wasn't moving a muscle, and it didn't look like she planned to. Marceline looked around her, the decaying soil was only a meter around them; they had no space to move at all. She looked towards the blazing undead as it raised itself off the ground, turning its head and shooting a furious glare at them.

Desperately, she grabbed the fire elemental under her arms, moaning in pain as she lifted her up off the ground, slowly raising them both into the air. Her arms struggled to hold onto the elemental as the flames licked her cold skin. She wasn't used to the heat, she had avoided it for over a thousand years, and it wasn't an easy thing to handle. But surprisingly, it didn't burn as much as she thought it would. The fire elemental was dimmer then usual, after all. She floated around the side of the castle slowly, moving towards its entrance. The candy people were all rushing towards it, the last of them moving through its doors. She quickly lowered herself towards it, tumbling down onto the top of the staircase. Flame Princess suddenly fell unconscious. She had taken little to no impact in the fall, but had blacked out anyway, showing how weak she actually was.

"Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed at the other side of the stairs, shocked at their sudden appearance. "You found her!" she ran over to the two and leaned down next to them. Marceline was panting, her arms pushed against her chest to try and soothe the burning sensation. Sunlight was what could kill her, fire couldn't necessarily to the same, but she still hadn't gone near one in a very long time.

"S-something..." Marceline winced in pain as she attempted to raise herself off the ground. "Something happened to Flame Princess, she looks weak." she said weakly as PB inspected the unconscious fire elemental.

"The Lich must have been draining her essence; he's more powerful than ever now!" Marceline said before she got up frantically, still tightly grasping her burns.

Princess Bubblegum, still inspecting Flame Princess had only just turned to face the Vampire Queen. "I fear the Lich may have sped up her withering process..." Marceline's eyes widened in shock. "If we don't do something soon, she's going to..." Princess Bubblegum suddenly found herself hating the thought. She turned back to the fire elemental, sadness overtaking her.

A horrible feeling swelled up in the pit of Princess Bubblegum's stomach. She didn't want to see this girl in front of her die; she had only just found peace within herself, something the candy princess never had. She would always cloud it with her usual experiments, the happiness of her kingdom and Finn's usual advances. Peace was such a hard thing to acquire; she knew that more than anyone. The bad things she had done to this girl, all the struggle this fire elemental had gone through just to be happy... all for nothing. But there was nothing they could do. The half-elemental's cursed fate was that there was no cure for their condition. The inevitable death was bound to happen, but why so soon? Why to this girl, of all people? Why couldn't she be born into a world better than this one, where she wouldn't have to struggle for the smallest hint of happiness? Maybe if she had been given more time... she could have found a cure, Finn and Flame Princess could have been happy.

... Now that was no longer possible. The best they could do now was keeping her from the Lich's grasp, they had to. If not, the whole world would be in danger.

"Princess, I'd rather be hearing that plan other than watching you daydream!" Marceline burst out, having been standing there in extreme patience for a few moments, considering the circumstances she couldn't be blamed for getting agitated.

"Protect Flame Princess." Princess Bubblegum spoke softly, but still enough for Marceline to hear. She pulled out her rather small weapon from her coat, the essence in the tubes glowing an even brighter blue than before. She looked down towards the soil; it had stopped its advance. The Lich had found his prize; he could risk killing her if he continued the onslaught. "The draining has stopped; I'll hold the Lich off here."

"That's your plan?! We may as well hand her over, that thing isn't going to do anything to the Lich right now! We have to get her inside!" Marceline's face was desperate; she could feel the immense power coming from the Lich. It was... terrifying. By absorbing such a small portion of Flame Princesses power, his presence had increased tenfold. Was the fire elemental in front of her really that powerful? She doubted they could even stall him.

"Take her inside, get everyone to the highest part of the castle." she looked behind her to make sure all of the candy people had made it through the door. Some of them were still standing there, calling out to her frantically.

"Get inside, all of you!" she yelled at them, faking anger to get them to move. They responded well to an angry princess, she hated doing it, but it was necessary under these circumstances.

"I'm not leaving you out here alone Bonnibel." Marceline said in a caring voice, a voice she hadn't used with the princess since the early years of her life. Princess Bubblegum could only smile lightly, her face turning to the Vampire Queen.

"Don't worry about me; if the Lich gets Flame Princess, it's all over. I'll hold him off for as long as I can." Suddenly a massive crashing sound could be heard as soil, rock and debris were smashed aside as the massive, blazing figure of the Lich tore through the earth with pure force alone, sliding out across the ground as he turned to face the candy princess.

"Go!" Princess Bubblegum insisted one last time. Marceline gave her a nod before grabbing the fire elemental off the ground, feeling little to no heat emanating off her now. She hadn't noticed that while they were arguing, Flame Princess had gotten significantly dimmer. She threw the elemental onto her shoulder, flying through the door of the Candy Castle as it shut behind her.

Once Princess Bubblegum made sure Marceline had taken Flame Princess through the door, she turned to face the massive, blazing figure of the Lich. The weapon clutched in her right hand was only a prototype. She hadn't gotten close to enough time to finish it; she only prayed it would be enough to stall the Lich long enough for Flame Princess to... die. It was their only option now; she had to lose her life to save everyone. However she couldn't simply kill her on the spot. Not only could she never bring herself to do such a thing, it was dangerous to do so. With such an unstable and unpredictable process taking place, she had no idea how Flame Princess would react to an execution. She had to let her die the same way her mother had.

The Lich let out his usual cackle of laughter, not surprising at all to the candy princess. Her stare on the Lich remained firm, her weapon clutched tightly in her hand. "All alone princess?" he floated towards her slowly, dark balls of flames conjuring in his hands. "Where's your petty hero? Or the vampire? Did I accidently drain them of life along with your kingdom?" the Lich's snake-like tongue slithered around his mouth. "I can almost taste the human... such a weak creature."

Princess Bubblegum simply smiled knowingly at him. "You're making a mistake, you know?" her eyes locked onto his green orbs in challenge.

The Lich stopped moving, curiously contemplating the candy princesses' challenge against him. "Mistake? I make no mistakes, girl. Your ruined kingdom is proof of it." he seemed rather pleased with himself, grinning evilly at her.

Her determined stare remained firm, even against the massive, intimidating Bane of all Life, she didn't move from her position. "Oh, but you're wrong, this is quite a big mistake." her smile formed into a grin.

"And what would that be?"

Princess Bubblegum began walking towards him, her grin dropping and her face straightening into a very determined look. She held up her weapon and it immediately began charging up at the nozzle, a spiraling blue orb forming at the front.

"That? That's my mistake?!" the Lich seemed to be hysterical as he cackled with laughter, finding no threat in the weapon she was holding towards him. He began moving towards the advancing princess, moving out of the decaying soil he was stationed on.

"You may underestimate me, you may underestimate my people, you may underestimate the Vampire Queen, and you may even laugh in the face of the Glob himself!" Princess Bubblegum pulled back on the latch at the back of the weapon, making the spiraling orb pulse out blue waves rapidly. "But... never underestimate him."

As the Lich was distracted by his own world of hysterics, he hadn't noticed the giant ball of yellow that came smashing into him, making a giant crack sound as his horn was torn off his head from the amount of force the impact caused. He went flying back into the decaying soil, ripping through the ground as his massive blazing figure slid across the earth. The ball of yellow bounced back beside Princess Bubblegum and disassembled into Jake and Finn as she let loose the spiraling essence, making it fly towards the Lich at lightning speeds. A giant explosion of fluorescent blue light followed as the orb smashed into the moving Lich.

**- End of Chapter 18 -**

**_Author's Notes_**: The story is getting close to it end, stay tuned and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up real soon!

Eh... I'm bored of doing this part. You know the drill.


	19. Relentless

**_Author's Notes: _**Simon and Marcy is SOOO close! They're even throwing in 'I Remember You' before it to get us all tender before they drop the feels bomb on us D: The previews didn't explain anything that we don't already know, other than that Marceline will be the one telling the story. When they do this it usually means something big is going to happen, I can't wait! :3

Sorry for the long wait, here's the chapter!

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**_- Relentless, _Chapter 19._ -_**

Black dust and fog gave way to the massive figure of the Lich as he ripped through the earth, dust and rock scattered in every direction as a gaping hole was created in the wall of mist before he faded out of sight. Sparks of blue essence left from the explosion scattered around the atmosphere, flashing a quick, but brilliant lightshow inside the dark mist before dissipating into thin air.

"Yeah, we got him!" Finn cheered pumping a fist into the air, his eyes gleaming with relief.

Princess Bubblegum stood there still focused on the Lich's position. She knew better then the two. The Lich was far from done. A simple prototype couldn't have done anything to him, it was meant to be an accurate beam, not cause a large explosion. If it hadn't pierced the undead then it would have done nothing.

Suddenly movement could be seen within the wall of mist, bony figures of skeletons and other shapes were becoming visible, slowly approaching towards them. A slow rattling sound could be heard over the silence.

"Get into the castle, this isn't over yet!" the candy princess warned them. Finn and Jake stopped their enthusiastic attitudes and looked towards the princess. She had begun running back towards the door.

"Huh.. why?" Finn looked towards the mist and noticed the many dark figures approaching. He was confused for a second as to what they were, until he remembered the Lich was a necromancer. He could raise the undead with little to no effort, he probably hadn't tried until now because he hadn't found Flame Princess..

His eyes widened in realization. Where was she? Had the Lich already found and hurt her? He was after her power, it looked like he had obtained it. She could be gone.. it was all his fault.

"How are we supposed to win this?" Jake questioned, cutting through Finn's thoughts. The yellow dog was staring at the oncoming skeletons appearing out of the mist.

Finn shook his head, trying to rid himself of his ongoing pessimistic attitude. He had to focus on the dire situation at hand. "C'mon Jake!" Finn grabbed the yellow dog by his arm and pulled towards the castle doors in a hurry.

Princess Bubblegum was poking her head out of the half-closed door, gesturing for them to make haste. Suddenly wind rushed up behind them as the blazing figure of the Lich rose out of the mist, a wall of flames following his relentless onslaught.

"Fools! I will leave **_nothing_** of this castle!" The Lich's booming voice echoed throughout the kingdom, the undead pointing his burning finger towards the princess and the two brothers, his face a visage of rage. An army of skeletons rose out of the mist with and charged. The Lich's fiery aura looked as if it were carrying the chaotic atmosphere around them, pushing the undead beings forward, lifting up dead soil and rocks and blowing the mist aside as their shadows loomed over the Candy Castle.

Finn and Jake literally dove through the open gap in the door, almost smashing into the candy princess before she moved out of their way. They tumbled into the large room as PB shut the door closed.

"Where's Flame Princess!" Finn asked desperately as he pushed himself off the ground, looking at the candy princess. He was panting heavily, negative thoughts rushing into his mind again.

Princess Bubblegum frowned at him. Should couldn't tell him the truth. He could endanger everyone if he were to find out, he would definitely try to save the elemental from her certain fate. "She's fine, Marceline and her are at the top of the castle." this was different than before, Finn could kill everyone if he were to do something rash.. which she know he would. It had to be done.

Finn's eyes lit up, he stopped panting and smiled with relief. "Thank Glob.." he breathed. She was okay..

Suddenly the blazing figure of the Lich smashed through the door of the candy castle, breaking it into pieces as his fiery aura rushed into the room. The trio dived out of the way, barely avoiding the melting flames that washed over the room. Fiery debris flew everywhere over the room and the approaching skeletons shouted in triumph as they moved towards the entrance.

Finn and Jake lifted themselves up off the ground slowly. The bear-capped teenager cringed in pain as he felt a burning sensation above his arm, he turned his head to see a blazing splinter of wood from the door jammed deep into his shoulder. Blood began trickling down his arm while he turned his head from the heat radiating off the fire. He lifted his hand up and gripped around it, pulling tightly as he let out agonizing breaths of pain.

"Run!" Princess Bubblegum shouted as she fired another orb into the Lich. Skeletons came rushing through the sides of the smashed open doorway, firing volleys of arrows towards them. As the orb collided into the blazing undead, he stumbled back as his followers and every arrow was sent flying in random directions across the room as another fluorescent explosion of light ensued.

Finn tugged the splinter out and held his shoulder, moaning in pain. A wave of frustration washed over him. The Lich wouldn't leave them alone, he had kept at his onslaught for thousands of years and still wouldn't give up. What was this guy's problem? Losing his sense of danger; Finn launched from his position and began sprinting forward towards the Lich. He reached behind his back and gripped the hilt of his sword, sliding it over his blood-soaked shoulder while his eyes remained focused on the blazing undead. He made swift movements as he sidestepped flying arrows, spun around flying debris and quickly closed the gap between him and the Lich. As he got closer he pulled his sword out in front of him and leapt forward. His reasoning was simple really, if he ran fast enough, maybe he wouldn't be burned..?

Princess Bubblegum cried out in warning before noticing the walls around them were ablaze. The castle was made of almost all candy, it would be ready to collapse any second now. Suddenly she felt a massive grip move around her body and pull her backwards towards the end of the room. She turned to see Jake running back towards the door, carrying her with him.

Finn jumped up onto the Lich's hand, the burning sensation from the Lich's blazing aura immediately licking at his ankles. The human boy began leaping up the boney arm of the Lich, before the undead noticed his movements, turning his blazing eyes towards him.

"I will squash you like the bug you are!" the Lich yelled as he lifted his massive, boney arm and cast it down towards the human. Finn would have dodged it with little to no effort at all, if it weren't for the flames running up his ankles. He stumbled to the side and was sent hurdling towards the Lich's face as the undead's arm collided with his body.

He felt like crying out in pain as he grappled around the Lich's boney face and sent him stumbling to the side. It felt as if a thousand white-hot tipped needles were puncturing every part of his body, flames shrouded over his skin. All he could do was grit his teeth as he lifted his sword and thrust it down into the Lich's hollow eye socket. Surprisingly as the tip of the blade met bone and punctured through it, a loud, blood-curdling shriek an animal would make was heard from the Lich as his massive blazing figure seemed to fling himself to the side, sending Finn flying up towards the roof of the room.

His body thumped into the roof as the Lich's own flew across the room, making paintings and other various decorations lose their grip on the wall as the undead's body smashed into it. The items fell onto the ground adding to the massive mixture of chaotic, booming sounds that were happening in the moment.

Finn began to fall quickly from the height of the roof, he flung his arms forward and caught a hold onto one of the large, various candy supports stretching from one end of the roof to the other, holding the entire castle in place.

The teenager struggled to pull himself up onto the slippery, but sturdy support, breathing heavily as he looked back down towards Princess Bubblegum and Jake. They had moved to the back of the room and were now looking at him desperately.

"Finn, what the flip man! You could've been toast!" Jake yelled out over the rushing sounds, he lifted his arms and began stretching them towards the boy. Before he could reach him however, a burst of dark flames made him stumble backwards and knock the princess over as he fell onto her.

"Ugh, stupid fire!" he shut his eyes instantly, coughing as he inhaled boiling air. The heat was beginning to become extremely intense, the flames had completely consumed the room minus the ground they were standing on. It was slowly creeping up on them, if they didn't move through the door soon they would be toast. He couldn't leave Finn.

"Finn, jump man! It's now or never!" he yelled out to his brother.

"Hurry Finn!" the princess yelled out to him.

Finn held onto the candy support with one hand and clenched at his wounded shoulder with the other. He looked back towards his yellow companion, who had backed up to the door with the princess to avoid the flames that were now almost completely covering the room around them. He looked back towards the rising Lich. He was unstoppable, there was nothing that could defeat him. There had to be something that could stop him other than the gem of power. He would have to be buried a thousand feet under the surface to even delay his relentless onslaught. His mind raced as he looked around, a certain surface he was standing on catching his eye instantly.

He knew what to do.

"Jake, take PB to the top of the castle, get all the candy people together!" he yelled suddenly, not even looking towards them.

"But Finn!" Jake attempted to argue stepping forward, only to exclaim in agony as he planted it directly into the blaze. "Oww!"

"Go!"

That was it. Jake hurled himself and the princess backwards through the thick door, easily sending the double-sided entrance flinging back and forth multiple times rapidly as he tumbled through it. He landed on the ground with a grunt, shifting uneasily on the ground for a moment. He turned around, pushed his body upwards and exclaimed in shock as he noticed the blaze shooting towards the entrance. He desperately stretched his arms to both handles on each side. The blaze pushed forward and rushed into the entrance, the teenager barely visible among the writhing blaze inside. The fire loomed over the princess and the dog before it was smashed between two massive wooden doors, small sparks of flame escaped through carried by a burst of wind, forcing them to shut their eyes as a pulse of hot air rushed onto them.

After Finn had made sure the two had made it through the door, he focused on the writhing undead in the mass of the blaze. It was so thick with fire that the ground wasn't even visible, it was as if he were cast into the Nightosphere temporarily, the door of the castle being it's portal. Fiery undead beings danced mockingly within the blaze, jeering at the cowering human. He could barely breath as smoke began to rise up to the roof, clouding the atmosphere in a thick, choking shroud. His wound was pounding as the blistering heat invaded it's space.

The Lich was holding his eye, trying to comprehend the pain the boy had suddenly inflicted on him. He was an immortal undead being, he inflicted pain, manipulated it.. evolved it. It could not be inflicted on him, not by some mortal sword. There was nothing special about it, no enchantments, no magic, just a blood stain from the boy's shoulder.

Finn took in a deep breath as he absorbed the last remaining oxygen in the room. Small blazing shreds were covering the air around the room, caressing against his skin. He could barely feel the burning sensation, it was only when he inhaled did he feel heat as hot air would rush into his lunges.

"Hey, Lich!" Finn yelled out to the undead, a confident grin on his face. His mind flashed back to the event on top of the castle. He could do the same thing here..

The Lich glared the boy down and raised his hand, conjuring a writhing ball of green flames. "This ends now, boy." the ball began to crackle rapidly as lava spewed out of it's core.

"Aw, but I was just having fun!" Finn exclaimed enthusiastically, raising his arms sarcastically to taunt the necromancer.

The Lich grunted in amusement and released the ball in a flurry of green sparks, launching it towards the bear-capped teenager.

Finn's eyes narrowed in concentration, he pressed his arm against the candy supports he was standing on and tensed his entire body. Just as the ball of fire collided with the candy support, he swiftly leapt sideways and was pushed by the force of the explosion that ensued. He flew across the room and landed on another support. They were all in set up in a line, making it easy for him to jump across. He turned his head and noticed the support he was just standing on was destroyed.

"Wow, you're pretty slow Lich. It's pathetic." Finn continued to mock him, obviously having effect on the undead as the Lich conjured two more balls of fire in his hand.

"Laugh, boy. It only makes this more amusing." the Lich stated flatly. He rapidly hurled the two crackling balls of fire towards Finn, to no avail; as the human boy almost skipped across to the next one with no effort at all. Two candy supports were taken out this time.

The Lich, completely unaware of the hero's plan, began to chase him around the roof with volleys of demonic green fire. Repeated explosions began to fill the atmosphere's sound as volleys upon volleys of flames collided with the roof, the Lich cackling amidst the chaos, finding sport in burning the human boy alive. The necromancer stopped his onslaught of fire and studied the smoke for any sign of the boy. As the smoke cleared, nothing could be seen amidst the blazing chaos except fire. One candy support remained, barely holding in place as it wobbled. The inner part of the castle seemed to tilt side to side without any type of balance. The Lich grunted in amusement and lowered his blazing orbs.

~ … ~

Jake leapt up over the balcony of the castle with Princess Bubblegum on his back, immediately landing in the group of candy people scattered around the top of the building. They were all in distress, some running around pointlessly yelling exclamations of fear. Some remained in small groups, looking to each other for comfort. The candy people may be a durable people, but they sure were wimps.

"Jake, we need to find Marceline." Princess Bubblegum stated, rubbing the side of his head as you would to a normal dog. Not that Jake didn't enjoy being petted, it triggered some sort of weird condition that would make him go nuts. Finn liked to take advantage of it and manipulate him, which got him cautious of other's.

"Stop that PB!" Jake said, flicking his ear at the candy princess. She almost fell off the large yellow dog before he exclaimed in relief. "There's Marceline!" he said as he spotted the Vampire Queen kneeling in front of a dim Flame Princess away from the crowd of candy people.

The yellow dog stretched over the crowd, his body retracting back towards him as he landed beside the Vampire Queen. "Marceline! What happened to Flame Princess!" Jake exclaimed as PB jumped off the dog and ran over to Marceline's side.

The candy princess slowly knelt down beside the Vampire Queen, trying to get a glimpse past her dark raven hair. As she attempted to edge forward, Marceline's arm extended out swiftly and gripped the candy princess' own. The thousand-year old adolescent raised her gaze and shook her hair away from her face. She had an expectant look upon her features, already knowing the fate that awaited the fire elemental.

"How long has she got left?" Marceline asked flatly. The two interlocked eyes for a moment, a deep, sad feeling burning beneath the queen's eyes. PB could see it for a moment, it reminded her of their past. She understood Marceline's pain. This girl was somewhat like the vampire queen when she was young, it pained her to see her die like this. The candy princess reached over to the dim girl's forehead and pressed her hand down.

After a few moments, PB raised her hand off the fire elemental and looked at Marceline with a saddened expression on her face. "Five minutes, at max." she stated sadly.

"FP is going to die?!" Jake exclaimed angrily rushing towards the candy princess. "You lied to Finn! You said she was okay.." he looked down towards the dim princess. This was the girl his brother loved. He couldn't be here to help her. He was down there fighting for her and everyone while she died up here, she couldn't even spend her last moments with him. It should've been him down there.. no.. it should have been Bubblegum. She had lied to them two for too long. It was her fault.

Princess Bubblegum reached out and placed her hand onto the dog's shoulder in comfort.

"She didn't deserve this.." he clenched his fists, puffing up in anger. "And neither did Finn!" the yellow dog spun around and made Princess Bubblegum stumble back in shock. "She's going to die and my brother can't even be here to help her!" he said pointing towards her.

The candy princess rushed up in front of the dog in anger at his sudden actions and loomed over the top of him. "She's dying of the condition I told you about before!" she exclaimed angrily.

Jake's eyes widened in shock. "So that means.." his head dropped in sadness as he realized.

"There's nothing we can do.." Princess Bubblegum softened, placing a gentle arm on his shoulder. It only took him to realize the situation to understand. "You know Finn.. you know what he would do if I told him."

Jake sniffed, wiping an arm over his face. He almost felt like crying, but his brother had given him a job to do. There was no time for tears. He looked up towards the princess, then towards the vampire queen who was still staring sadly at the girl in front of her. His features sharpened in determination.

Suddenly a massive rumbling sound came from below, the castle shook in unison and almost knocked the princess off her feet. "What the flip!" she exclaimed.

It came again, louder and with more impact this time, successfully making the clumsy princess tumble over.

"Something's wrong.." Jake said cautiously, both arms spread out to balance himself. His mind was racing with thoughts, his eyes widening in shock as he realized.

"Oh Glob, I know what Finn's planning!" Jake exclaimed in shock. The rumblings were the supports in the main entrance falling apart. Finn had been atop them earlier, inspecting them closely. He stretched his arms around the candy princess. "We have to round the candy people up!" he looked towards the Vampire Queen.

"Marceline, uh.." Jake hesitated, aware of how easy it was for the vampire to suck him bloodless right now. "..take Flame Princess into the air, now!" he commanded. Surprisingly, she complied immediately with his command, lifting Flame Princess off the ground and floating upwards. The Vampire Queen turned and flashed her fangs at him, a sure sign of her return.

He gave a small smile and leapt over towards the candy people. "Jake, what the flip is Finn doing!" the princess yelled raising her arms upwards.

"He's going to bring the whole center of the castle down! We need to gather everyone on the sides!" Jake rapidly stretched around the crowd of candy people, gathering up the stragglers on the sides as he outstretched even more. He tied around them like a rope and held them all in a tight circle on the balcony. Defiant cries and shouts were heard from the candy people as they were all unexpectedly wrapped up together.

Princess Bubblegum looked down the side of the balcony, barely seeing the flames gushing out of the main entrance through the fog. "Good luck Finn.." she breathed.

~ … ~

Balancing on the thin indent that separated the main door from the walls of the castle, the bear-capped teenager stood silently behind the blazing monster.

The boy suddenly leaped forward onto the Lich's back and with a grunted burst of force, pushed off the undead and sent himself hurtling backwards through the entrance, out in front of the staircase. The Lich stumbled forward, smashing into the final remaining support and coiling around in shock as flames writhed around him. The roof above him collapsed, bringing the entire center of the castle down upon him.

**_~ End of Chapter 19. ~_**

**_Author's Notes_**: Nothing left to say but, well.. review! :D


	20. Pinnacle

**_Author's Notes:_** Alright, I'm just sick and tired of all of these god damn Marshall and Fionna fics EVERYWHERE and have to say something. They've only had a single episode so far and are the most underdeveloped characters in the entire AT universe right now. Why are they so shipped? Why are there so many bad fics of them? I wouldn't care if almost every single one of them weren't exactly the same! Please AT fanbase, stop!

And as for my constant lateness, well... sadly, I'm sure it will happen again. I just can't physically get these chapters out fast anymore. Sorry guys :\...

Enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**- _Pinnacle, _Chapter 20 – **

A massive rumbling sound unleashed as tons of debris came crashing down upon the Lich. Finn had raised himself onto his hands and knees, lifting his gaze towards the evil necromancer.

"Heh... it's over..." he breathed wearily just as a chunk of debris collided with the undead's skull. A burst of wind and fire burst outwards from the center of the Candy Castle as the debris crashed into the castle's floor, almost sending Finn flying from his position before he could grasp at the earth underneath him and lower his gaze to the ground, shutting his eyes.

**~ ... ~**

The grouped up citizens of the Candy Kingdom exclaimed in shock as the colossal tree of the castle suddenly gave way and split the floor upwards into chunks of solid candy, sending the group sliding down the slope, pulling Jake down with them. The yellow dog reacted quickly and stretched his body over the side of the balcony, acting as a harness to the group of frightened candy people, holding them in place on their slanted footing.

As the great tree smashed through the hallways and rooms, it fell sideways and broke through the side of the castle, literally tearing a massive, gaping hole in the once great building. There was now a straight drop going through the center of the castle, flames writhing through the debris at the bottom, while a massive chunk around the sides had been buried into the ground.

Princess Bubblegum, wrapped amongst the group of candy people, watched as her beloved castle was so suddenly destroyed. She didn't expect it, but just as the massive great tree that once beaconed out across Ooo crashed into the soil, she gasped in horror and felt her eyes beginning to water. The place she had lived in her whole life had so suddenly been torn apart.

The candy citizens exclaimed loudly in shock as whatever was holding the little ground beneath them suddenly gave way, causing the chunk of solid candy to start sliding over the edge of the vertical drop.

"Ohglobohglobohglob!" Jake yelled frantically as the falling candy people slowly pulled his body over the gap, his grip on the balcony gradually slipping. "I can't hold it!" His grip was finally let loose, sending him and the citizens flinging off the balcony.

"Jake!" Princess Bubblegum cried as she fell down the massive hole.

Jake quickly stretched his body in a massive sphere around the falling candy people. His arms stretched onto the floors of the broken hallways and rooms around them, trying to find any sort of grip while descending, but it was impossible. The weight of the candy people we're too much, he couldn't get a firm hold on anything.

"I can't hold into anything!" he yelled desperately as they fell halfway down the height of the castle.

Suddenly, a huge furred body carried by two massive black wings came rushing up to meet them, catching the ball of yellow in its arms. Jake unraveled his body slightly to see who had caught him, revealing the unharmed candy people inside.

"Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed in surprise as she spotted the bat form of the Vampire Queen holding them. "Where's Flame Princess?!"

"Up there." she said, pointing towards the top of the castle. Princess Bubblegum followed her direction, spotting the fire elemental on her hands and knees atop the castle. She seemed to have regained consciousness. "I had to ditch her, y-" suddenly, the falling chunk of debris that had broken from the balcony smashed into the vampire, sending her and the sphere-shaped yellow dog flying out into the open.

**~ ... ~**

Finn groaned in pain as flying splinters grazed past his burnt body and wounded shoulder, the burst of wind coming from the impact felt like razors against his skin. His ears were buzzing; he could barely hear the massive crashing sound that was overtaking the atmosphere. It was only until the large booming sounds had finished that did he finally raise his head and open his eyes.

He exclaimed in shock as he spotted the bat form of Marceline and a massive sphere-shaped Jake flying towards him. He quickly dived out of the way, just in time so that he wasn't crushed by the vampire as she dragged backwards across the ground. Jake landed shortly after, letting himself unravel with a groan as the remaining candy citizens tumbled out from him on top of each other, all of them groaning in pain.

**"**What the flip just happened!" Finn exclaimed in confusion, raising himself off the ground. Marceline slowly reverted back to her normal form, groaning in pain as she rolled onto her side, clenching at her gut.

"Finn!" Jake exclaimed joyfully. "You're okay!" the dog reverted back to his normal form before lifting himself off the ground.

"Guys, there's no time!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed running over to them. "You have to get Flame Princess!" she pointed towards the top of the destroyed castle.

"... can't she just get down herself?" Finn asked confused. The boy followed her direction and spotted the small tint of dull color leaning over the edge of the balcony. Flame Princess. He let out a shocked gasp, pausing for a second, before turning his head back towards the candy princess.

"Finn I-"

"It's fine Princess." the bear-capped teenager managed a weak smile. "I understand now..." he looked back towards the fire elemental atop the castle. "... responsibility demands sacrifice."

She looked towards him wide eyed for a moment. How much this boy had grown up. He had been so willing to take on this girl's pain for her. He had strived so much just so they would both be happy. So it almost shocked the princess... that he could stand there and so easily forgive her for lying about the fire elemental. Princess Bubblegum was willing to take on any amount of hatred to keep her kingdom safe, even his. But he understood the position she was in.

"C'mon Jake..." Finn said as he began to run towards the castle. His whole body was throbbing, his legs felt like they could give way at any moment, his skin felt like a thousand white-hot tipped needles were puncturing through it. But he wasn't going to let that stop him from saving Flame Princess. Jake quickly followed, running in between the teenagers legs as he ran and grew larger, moving swiftly as the boy rode on his back.

"How do we get to her?" Finn questioned, looking up towards the fire elemental.

"Just leave it to m-" the dog's voice was cut off by the sound of flying debris as something massive rose out of the destruction that was the center of the Candy Castle, swiftly moving towards the top. Finn growled in frustration. The Lich cackled loudly as he gained height, the ear-piercing sound echoing throughout the kingdom.

"Quick Jake, he's after Flame Princess!" Finn said, his eyes locked onto the blazing undead.

In a single movement, Jake sent himself springing up onto the Candy Castle. He used his stretching powers to make long strides towards the center, his eyes locked onto the evil necromancer. As Jake reached the center, he stretched his leg up the side the castle and began striding vertically up the destroyed building, finding every foothold he could to send himself springing up at tremendous speeds.

Once Jake had reached past the Lich's height, he gripped the edges of a smashed in hallway, pulled his body back and literally launched himself towards the necromancer. The dog pulled back his fist, enlarged it and exclaimed in triumph as it connected with the Lich's skull, sending the undead into the other side of the massive gap as Jake landed in the hallway. The blazing monster smashing through wall after wall as it flew out the other side of the castle.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get back up, go get your lady!" Jake said before he grabbed Finn around the waist with one arm and stretched him up towards the broken staircase that led to the balcony. Luckily most of it had stayed intact, the area around it had been destroyed.

Finn nodded towards Jake as he placed him on the staircase. The boy turned around slowly and walked up the stairs, careful as to not step on anything that would give way under his feet.

As his head appeared out of the staircase, he spotted the dim princess leaning weakly over the side of the half-destroyed balcony. Small specs of flame no longer rose off her body, she wasn't aware of his presence. She was just staring into the fog, her back turned to him.

"Flame Princess!" Finn called out, hoping to get any type of reaction from the girl.

...Why was he here? Why would he come if she was such a burden? The fire elemental found it pathetic that... she felt glad he was here. She hated that she couldn't be alone, that she just had to be hurting someone. But why did it have to be him? He was just going to cause more pain for himself by being near her. She was going to die anyway. She could feel it. Her head felt lighter than a feather, she didn't even feel cold anymore... she could barely feel anything.

She felt the slightest bit of warmth rest itself on her shoulder. She turned her head slowly, her gaze interlocking with two round blue eyes. Finn was standing over her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

_She's so cold_... Finn thought. It was as if all the life had been completely drained out of the girl, along with her fiery aura. All that remained of the dim flames was her fiery hair, which had completely lowered down her back and was only flickering around the edges.

"L-lea-ve me al-one." she began to speak, discovering that she could barely do so. Her lips were hardly responding to her commands, quivering at every movement.

"I can't do that FP."

"Why not?" she forced out, her eyes locked on his, looking for an answer.

He reeled back from the question, clear by the look of his face that he had no answer. He had already broken his promise to her once, what good would it do to say 'I made you a promise'?

"I don't know..." his head lowered in defeat. What could he possibly say to her? This girl had put all of her trust in him and he had been foolish enough to take it for granted. Now she was dying because of him. His eyes began to water up. "This is all my fault."

Flame Princess attempted to shift her position to face him, but she was too weak. Her arm gave way and her body went limp as she fell backwards. Finn exclaimed in shock as he swiftly lowered to his knees and caught the girl around her shoulders with his forearm.

The girl felt something cold hit her forearm. She turned her head in surprise, only seeing a tiny patch on water on her skin. She felt the cold sensation again, this time on her forehead. She looked up into the sky; the fog had cleared around the upper atmosphere, allowing them to see into the dark rain clouds that loomed above them. Small drops of rain began to fall from the clouds, before rising into a washing downpour.

"I-it's n-not your fau-lt." the girl spoke as her eyes lowered in sadness. "If I did-n't let you get s-o cl-ose to me, none of this wou-ld hav-e happened..." her speech was coming back, but her words kept getting weaker and weaker. "If anything, it's my fault."

They sat in silence for a few moments before the boy looked at her, a serious look in his eyes.

"You're wrong FP..." he spoke softly. "I had two awesome parents, a brother who always looked out for me, friends who cared about me... I had it easy from the start. Your own kingdom turned their back on you. You had no reason to accept me, but you did anyway..." Tears began to fall down the boy's cheeks. "... and just when you thought you could trust someone... trust me..." the boy caressed his hand down her cheek. "I betrayed you."

"Why do you keep chasing me Finn?" she asked as his blonde hair, soaked by the rain, escaped the confines of his hat and covered his forehead. "Why am I so worth all the pain?"

The boy wiped his forearm across his face. Once he had lifted it off, she noticed a smile had graced his features. "Well..." he looked up into the sky as she had, not looking at the rain, but reminiscing in his memories. "When I first saw you, that time in the tree house..." the girl chuckled wearily at the memory.

"When I slapped you?" she said, managing a weak smile.

"Hehe, yeah..." the boy chuckled. "You looked so lonely... so unhappy." he looked back down at her. "You reminded me of myself in a way... being the only human makes me feel lonely sometimes. But then I would remember that I have friends around me, people who care about me... But there was always that-"

"Empty feeling." she finished for him. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, a torrent of emotional understanding crossing between them.

The heavens continued to unleash their fury towards the event. A single beam of light shone through the dark clouds and pierced through the relentless downpour, making the atmosphere sparkle around them.

"I guess that... when I met you, I knew that feeling could finally be gone.." he continued. "I wanted to be there for you, to be the person that made you happy when you were sad. I never wanted to experience that empty feeling again."

"That's why you're so worth the pain, Flame Princess. Because I love you."

The girl could only lay there in his arms, tears falling down her face after he said those last words. Finn softly caressed his hand across her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

"And now... you're dying because of me. Because of a promise I couldn't keep." he buried his face into the crook of her neck, letting his own tears flow freely down his face and onto her skin. "In the end... I couldn't make you happy."

Flame Princess's face faded into a light skin color, her barely flaming hair lowered and faded to a light orange, her garments had lost all the fiery essence they had left, fading into a dark red color.

"_You already have_." the girl spoke softly into his ear.

Finn's face remained buried into the crook of her neck for a long, emotional moment. He found comfort in her embrace, while his tears still trickled down his face. The boy suddenly realized the girl had been lying motionless in his arms for a long while.

"Flame Princess?" he said, praying to glob she wasn't...

"Flame Princess!?" he spoke again, sounding distressed.

He raised his head and gasped in disbelief as he saw her skin-colored face, her long orange strands. _Her lifeless body_... She was gone... his Flame Princess was gone.

"No..." he said in disbelief.

"_No!_" he cried into the pouring atmosphere. He gripped her body tightly, burying his head into the crook of her neck once more. "Please no..."

Suddenly a crashing sound broke through the sound of the crackling thunder and pouring rain. He could barely hear something shouting out behind him. He didn't care for it; he could only focus on the lifeless princess in his arms.

"Finn! This is bad man!" the familiar voice of Jake broke through the barrier of sound as he got closer. Finn heard him appear out of the hole, heard the dog approach towards him. He only gripped tighter around his princess.

"I'm so sorry Finn!" Jake yelled over the sound of the downpour.

Ignoring the defiant shouts of the human boy, Jake wrapped his arms around the two and in one movement, lifted them onto his back and literally dove off the top of the castle. The dog plummeted towards the ground, slicing through the rain as he stretched his legs onto the soil and reeled his own body in. As he landed on the ground, he continued to run towards the Princess Bubblegum, the Vampire Queen and the group of candy people who were looking at him with confused expressions. As he approached them, he jumped into the air, flipped Finn and Flame Princess in midair and stretched his body in a massive semi-circle over the top of everyone.

A massive, fiery explosion ensued from the center of the Candy Castle, overtaking and completely obliterating what was left of it. The force of the blast exploded out into the atmosphere, forcing the rain away from it and creating a massive, thin dome of sparkling water around the kingdom.

**- End of Chapter 20 -**

**Author's Notes**: I'm not going to comment on the chapter, I'll leave it up to you guys to contemplate on what just happened.


	21. Hero ( Part 1 )

**Author's Notes: **I've decided that you guys have been waiting ( patiently ) for a very long time for the chapter, and I've just felt worse and worse every day that I've had to make you guys wait. I feel you guys deserve something for being so amazing and patient. Sorry to a certain person ( who doesn't like being mentioned in A/N's ) who constantly tried to cheer me up and get my mind off it. This chapter would have taken way too long; probably double the time it already has to complete half of it, and I just didn't want to put you guys through that.

Please review guys!

So without further stalling, here's the first part of the final chapter of 'Fiery Embrace!'

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**-_ Hero, _Final Chapter: Part I. - **

The shadowy figure of the human boy stood out against the clouding smoke, dust and ash that began shrouding the atmosphere after the explosion had ended. Random patches of flame were scattered around the kingdom, quickly dousing into the black soil underneath; unable to sustain itself under the washing downpour. The cloud of dust only allowed a few meters vision, before shrouding it completely.

"Oww.. my head." Finn moaned in pain as he regained consciousness. The human boy slowly pushed himself off the muddy ground, his head throbbing, his body blistered in burns; his arms felt like they were ready to give way just as he let out a spluttering cough. He quickly raised his palm towards his mouth, his throat beginning to throb violently as he struggled to breath, his windpipe felt like it was on fire. Every outburst of sound was one of agony for the human, every interval struggling to absorb any hint of oxygen. Just as he was ready to cry out in agony, the random fit of splutters ended, releasing him from it's grasp of pain and allowing him to lean against the ground on his palms, his nails digging into the muddy soil. He inhaled deeply, sighing deeply in relief as cold air moved through his throat.

The rain died down, the heavens ceasing their relentless onslaught. He thanked glob that a light trickle remained; it was the only thing keeping his body from overheating.

He raised his gaze upwards, his eyes locking onto a small, dark spec of ash floating in front of him. It slowly fell towards the ground, softly landing in his hand. He stared at it for a moment, as if something were itching in the back of his mind. Even though the spec was small, he knew it wasn't normal. It was a dark-gray color, with a light, but noticeable puffed circle around it. He looked into the atmosphere; it was everywhere, filling in each gap of his view. What was the word Princess Bubblegum had told him that one time? She had explained this type of thing before, if only he had payed more attention. As he attempted to lose himself in thought, his head only throbbed in reply, bringing him back into reality.

He examined his surroundings. "Wait.." he whispered quietly to himself. "..where is everyone?" he could remember Jake's frantic actions, launching off the castle, rushing into the group of candy people.. he had her in his arms..

"Hello?!" he cried out weakly, his faint, echoing voice a testament to the hopelessness of the situation. He lay there on his knees, the pain puncturing at his very being. He was used to pain.. all kinds of it, but this was the worst he had ever experienced, it was agonizing for the hero.

He turned towards the castle; or what was left of it. He could faintly see the light flickering of flames within the debris, beaconing out through the smoke. The fire still hadn't died down, even against the downpour. He wouldn't dare get his hopes up of it being her. A part of him wanted her to come back so bad, he wanted it all to be a big joke. He just wanted her to be okay, it was all he had ever wanted for her. Why did everything have to be so unfair? What had she ever done to deserve such a fate?

He shook the thoughts from his mind. As bad as everything was, he knew he had to focus on finding the others. He still had some fight left in him, he wasn't going to let any energy he had left be wasted. It was his hero nature, the undying ability to help anyone in need, even when his own situation was dire, even when he was mentally broken in every way. With a groan of pain, he pushed against the muddy soil and slowly raised himself off the ground.

He could barely make out a faint, but familiar groaning sound coming from somewhere behind him. He slowly turned his head, every movement costing him a jolt of pain. It wasn't as intense as a moment ago, but it was at least tolerable now. He slowly began limping weakly towards the sound, fighting the urge to collapse with each step. As he moved further through the shroud, his eyes could make out a small, shadowy figure ahead of him. It was lying down, it almost looked like..

"Jake.." the boy breathed in shock. He began to move any bit faster then he already could, worries of losing another loved one echoing in his mind. As he got closer, he could make out the seared patches of fur on the dog's body, he could hear the choking coughs of the dog, obviously suffering from the same ash that was setting fire to his own throat; but he was alive..

Just as Finn was about to reach out and place his hand on Jake's shoulder, the dog swiftly spun around and enlarged his hand over the top of him with a growl, pinning the boy against the ground. "You're not takin' this puppy!" the dog roared fiercely, but desperately.

"J-Jake, it's me!" he cried out frantically, struggling to escape the magical dog's iron grip.

"Finn?" the dog exclaimed as he withdrew his arm and lowered it underneath the boy, raising him onto his feet. "Sorry man.. thought you were the Lich."

**"**Wouldn't doubt I look as ugly as him right now though.." He earned a light chuckle from the dog.

Finn turned towards the debris of the Candy Castle. He had no doubt the Lich was the cause of the destruction; but why would he go to such extents? "What happened up there Jake?"

"Uh.." the dog began reluctantly. "I guess it might be my fault.." he scratched the back of his head.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Finn inquired.

"Well.. we were fighting.."

**~ Earlier ~**

The walls of the castle shook as a fist collided with the Lich's body, sending the blazing figure dragging across the solid candy ground. Jake exclaimed in pain as his hand was once again burnt by the Lich's fiery aura. The necromancer dragged his boney hand across the ground as he moved, slowing down as the undead charged a crackling ball of fire in it's hands.

Jake looked down at his hand; the fur had been completely burnt off the top of it. He couldn't risk attacking him over and over, a few more blows like that and he wouldn't have a hand left. He couldn't keep him from the balcony by running away either, the dog was clearly not his target.

The Lich released the blazing sphere in a flurry of green sparks, missing it's target as Jake stretched his body around it; letting it disperse under the washing downpour that was dominating the atmosphere.

"Stand aside, and I might allow you to be my pet." the Lich commanded.

"I'd rather eat dirt." the dog growled.

The Lich cackled maniacally as his blazing aura grew outwards and covered the entire hallway in a vortex of flames. "So be it." the necromancer began advancing forward slowly, the writhing flames around him preventing Jake from moving anywhere but backwards; which led right over the edge.

He wasn't worried about falling, it was the least of his worries. If he couldn't hold the Lich here, he would reach Flame Princess before she could pass on. He couldn't think of anything. He covered his face with his forearm; the heat getting more intense as the blazing undead slowly closed the gap between them.

"Shame, I won't be able to raise you as one of my undead puppets after I've melted you." the Lich said with a menacing smirk as he neared the yellow dog.

"She's already dead, why are you still here?!" Jake burst out, the only thing he could think of leaving his mouth before it could reach his brain.

The Lich immediately stopped in his tracks, Jake's words obviously effecting the relentless undead being. "Dead, you say?" the fiery aura around the necromancer died down, returning to it's normal size. The Lich slowly raised his arms upwards in a horizontal position.

A tense moment of silence followed; the only sound coming from the panting of Jake and the crackling flames of the Lich. The dog eyed down the undead; wondering what he was up to.

"It seems I cannot sense her life force." A crooked, sinister smile fell onto the Lich's features. "Which means.." the undead retracted his arms and looked directly at the yellow canine. "..there's no reason for this pitiful kingdom to **exist** anymore!" the necromancer's long shadowy robes began to rage around him, his fiery aura writhing wildly as he raised his long, boney arms into the air; before bringing his palms down and smashing them into the ground.

A mysterious force pulsed through the kingdom just as the undead's hands hit the ground; followed by a feeling of dread as the Lich's eyes remained locked on the dog's in a maniacal grin. The skeletal being let out an ear-piercing cackle as his flames suddenly picked up velocity, completely shrouding any vision the dog had of him in a cloak of swirling fire.

Jake could clearly see the flames weren't growing in size, but the heat was mysteriously becoming increasingly intense; forcing the dog to stand directly on the edge. He didn't like the sound of what the monster said either. If he knew any better, he was sure the Lich was about to do something terrible; and that he needed to get away, fast. He swiftly turned around and leaped off the edge; stretching his arms up towards the balcony.

~** Present **~

"..you pretty much know the rest." Jake finished as he rubbed his head in guilt. "Ugh, I shouldn't have opened my big mouth."

"Don't worry about it.." Finn began before a choking cough spluttered out. He stood there holding his throat for a few seconds, the burning feeling in his throat intensifying yet again. After a few moments he regained his voice. "It's no one's fault." he croaked.

"Looks like it's happening to you too.." Jake moved beside Finn and grew in size, lifting the boy's shoulder up and supporting his weight.

"Thanks Jake." Finn said weakly. He moved his left arm over Jake's shoulder and rested his weight on the yellow dog. A wave of relief washed over him as his blistered legs were finally given rest. "What's this grey stuff anyway?" He raised his hand forward, catching a spec of the mysterious ash in his palm.

"Not sure, might be what's causing our throats to hurt though." Jake replied as he examined the spec in Finn's palms. "C'mon, we need to find the others." the dog began to move forward, supporting Finn's weight as they moved in unison.

Finn turned to his brother, still recovering from the splutter. "How'd we get separated anyway?" he asked.

"When the explosion hit, it was too strong; I couldn't hold everyone." the dog shrugged his shoulder up, adjusting his uncomfortable position. "The blast must have sent us in different directions."

They continued to limp weakly through the dust and smoke, Finn's eyes lowering as his mind flashed back to Flame Princess. Where would she be now? With Glob? That's what he had always been told happens when you die a good person. She was probably watching him right now. Who knows? Maybe she would finally find peace in the hands of death; life was never fair to her. The thought brought a smile to his face. His Flame Princess could possibly be happy, for once she would be free from the torture her life was so unfairly made to be.

"Finn? Jake!?" A familiar voice suddenly yelled out through the smoke and cut through Finn's thoughts. "Is that you?"

"PB?" Finn croaked out in reply. He looked towards the sound, making out the dark figure of Princess Bubblegum through the dust. Suddenly he could see multiple figures approaching behind her, all in the shape of the candy citizens. As she appeared out of the dust, he noticed a shocked expression had fallen upon her face.

"Oh no.." he heard her breath. He curiously looked at her as she ran over to him; wondering what was distressing her. "This is bad.." the candy princess said in a distressed voice as she approached them.

"What's bad?" the boy croaked. The burning in his throat was beginning to feel worse; every word costing him a jolt of pain.

"This situation isn't what I'd call good." Jake joked, forcing a smile.

The princess's face looked desperate, she turned towards the dog at his comment. "This isn't funny Jake! You and Finn need to get out of here, now!"

"Huh? What's going on?" Finn asked. "Where's Marceline?"

"Up here." the voice of the Vampire Queen said in reply. He looked up, spotting her floating a few feet above him.

"There's radiation; everywhere. I wasn't sure whether or not you guys would be affected by it, but it looks like it's already harming you." Princess Bubblegum explained distressingly. "It doesn't harm my people, but you guys need to get as far away as possible!"

The candy people slowly approached behind the princess, all of them murmuring words of desperation and panic. They were nowhere near as battered as he was, but most of them had certain parts of their body missing; it seemed to be the least of their worries as they examined their surroundings cautiously.

"Sure thing Princess!" Jake followed, beginning to enlarge his body while stretching his hand around the teenager.

"I'm not leaving." Finn stated. He shook the dog's grip off and stood in his position firmly.

Princess Bubblegum and Jake paused, turning their heads to look at the human boy, a look of confusion on both their faces. A cold breeze blew through the silent atmosphere, Finn's hands clenched, the two wondered what was going through the boy's mind.

"Radiation is really bad way to die Finn. I watched it happen to the humans after the Mushroom War, it's not a nice way to go out." Marceline cut in, floating down beside the princess. "Save your death for something cool, like dragons."

Finn simply looked at the Vampire Queen, as battered and bruised as he was, his face remained expressionless as he took in a deep breath. "If we don't stop the Lich here, he will destroy everything." Princess Bubblegum lowered her head in acceptance. There was really nothing she could do without the help of the boy. "What use will it be if we run away?"

"I guess." Jake retracted to his normal size, standing beside Finn and throwing his arm around the teenager's shoulder. "I have to stick with you, no matter how bad this turns out."

As the boy's mind flashed to his princess, his expression saddened. "And.. I won't.." Finn's head lowered as he sniffed, trying to force the tears back. "I won't let her die in vain!" he shouted, the tears escaping "I don't even know where her body is.. I'll never see her again.." the tears stung against his burns. He found it ironic; the two things that were causing him the most pain were acting in unison. "We stop him here, or not at all." He reached behind his back and gripped the hilt of his demon blood sword, turning around as he pulled it over his shoulder.

Jake raised his arm off the boy and looked up to the Vampire Queen. "You with us too Marcy?"

"Sure thing pup." Marceline smiled as she raised her arm outwards. In a single moment, her axe bass appeared in a puff of smoke as she held it in her slender fingers. "No way I'm missin' out on this!" the Vampire Queen flashed a fanged grin at the yellow dog.

Princess Bubblegum stood in front of the hero, she felt so inferior to the boy; No matter what she had gone through all her life, it was nothing compared to struggles he had. At such a young age, he had changed Ooo forever. His bravery and nobility had made him a beacon of hope to anyone in dire need across the vast landscape. She was still very young herself, she had so much more to learn, especially from this young hero of Ooo. Even when every circumstance seemed so impossible, even when all hope had run out, even when he had lost someone close to him.. he still stood strong. She had always stood back while he risked himself for everyone else's sake. Just this one time, maybe for the last time; they would stand together.

"Finn.."

"I said I'm staying Princess." the boy said firmly, looking up towards the castle as the smoke began to clear, his sword at his side. "I wonder where he is.."

"That's not it." Princess Bubblegum remained behind him, waiting for him to respond. The boy turned around, greeted by a warm smile from the princess and a group of steeled candy people. "We're all with you." her smile formed into a grin. "It's the least we can do, for all you've done for us."

_**~ To be continued ~**_


	22. Hero ( Part 2 )

**Author's Notes: **I've decided to split the chapter into three parts, but after about two months of the three parts being around, they will be merged into a single chapter. The chapter just ended up becoming way too big, but I'm kind of happy I get to split it into three parts.

Not sure if you guys will be disappointed or happy, but this way, you'll only have to wait a couple of days (hopefully) for the next part! I'm close to finishing it... I promise it won't take me so long this time!

As always, enjoy the chapter!

**_Disclaimer:_**I do not own Adventure Time.

**_~ Fiery Embrace ~_**

**_- Hero,_**** Chapter 21: Part II. -**

Finn's stern expression dropped as he lowered his gaze. His eyes weren't visible, covered by his golden fringe; all the princess could see was the motionless body of the hero. The human boy lifted his arm above his head and gripped at the middle of his scorched white bear hat. He tore it off, releasing his golden blonde hair as he looked up towards Princess Bubblegum with the warmest smile she had ever seen to grace his features.

"Thank you so much..." he said in a sincere voice, as the memories of his time with Flame Princess rushed through his mind "... everyone."

Maybe it was her end, maybe it was his. But by Glob, he wouldn't dare let the memory of her be shamed by allowing the Lich to rise into power once more. It only brought a smile to his face that all of his friends were willing to fight for the same thing. They hadn't ever known her like he did. Not one single person in Ooo ever understood, or even tried to understand her. But here they were, willing to believe in him and fight for a cause they had no reason to, just because they trusted him. It was true that they were also fighting to stop the Lich, but had they ever been so willing before? To fight for a cause they didn't understand at all... that alone showed that they believed in the hero. He tossed his hat aside; he felt that he didn't need it anymore. He wanted the Lich to see the face of the last human of Ooo, as he plunged his sword into his skull.

He looked up into the sky; the atmosphere around them had lost its color. The sky itself was dark gray, tinted by the radiation, glinting against the little sunlight escaping through the clouds. He looked at the area around him; the dust was beginning to clear, the brown air was dispersing and revealing the true reality of the destruction the explosion had caused: a small area around the castle had been completely flattened to the ground; Finn wondered by what miracle made possible for them to survive such a blast. Jake must have taken the blunt force of the explosion; evident by the seared patches of fur scattered across his body. The kingdom itself looked like a graveyard: the soil was black and lifeless; the once bright cotton candy trees were dark and decayed. The flames still burnt bright in the center of the debris; the writhing blaze had grown and formed a bonfire of sorts in the center of the kingdom.

They would have thought the world had ended, if it weren't for the shade of lush green visible over the hills surrounding the kingdom; the Grass Lands, once the location of his home. He wondered whether they would ever get the chance to rebuild their Tree Fort, if they would ever get to run freely through the vast, seemingly glowing hills. It all seemed like a dream, really.

He looked to the right of the Grass Lands; to the Ice Kingdom. Its gleaming mountains of ice towered above the horizon, beaconing out across Ooo. It was strange; throughout all the commotion and destruction that had gone on throughout the day, the Ice King had not even noticed or cared enough to investigate. They had their differences; but he and Jake seemed to have established a friendly relationship with the lonely king, only through sympathy of his past. As idiotic as the monarch could be, his powers would be invaluable in this situation.

He looked down to Jake; his ever faithful companion, brother and best friend. This would be the last time they would fight together; throughout all the years they had selflessly made it their job to protect Ooo. Out of all the good deeds they had done; this one would be the most important, they just had to succeed.

Marceline was just above him; floating rather casually in place with her axe bass resting across her shoulder. Her usual fanged grin was drawn across her face, seeming rather calm despite the situation at hand. Just as he had his hero nature, she had her mischievous nature that allowed her to never become distressed with any challenge she faced. He couldn't understand how, but he wouldn't dare question a thousand-year old vampire. It was obviously better to stay calm and collected in every situation, which seemed almost impossible with the amount of bizarre things that happened to him on his and Jake's adventures.

Princess Bubblegum walked up beside him and readied her prototype weapon. Maybe she had done things in the past to cause a rift between the two, but she had always wanted the best for him. He had no doubt she does and will always care about his well-being; but sometimes 'responsibility demands sacrifice', as she once told him. Even with all she had done, he still trusted her.

The candy citizens stood ready behind the princess. Even though the defenseless people really had little to offer in battle, and could easily become terrified enough to even explode, they still decided against fleeing. He wondered how they hadn't already exploded yet, the amount of things more terrifying then a zombie invasion that had happened in the past few hours couldn't be counted. Maybe it was their determination to avenge their fallen kingdom, it was after all; their home. He could have felt the same way with the Flame King if he wasn't the father of Flame Princess. He still doubted whether they would be anything but a burden against a monster like the Lich.

Simply falling into his thoughts; he found it funny how the threat of death could so easily make the steeled hero drift into his memories. He was quickly starting to appreciate everything around him so much more; everyone and everything he had ever cared about was deteriorating before his very eyes. That's why it was so important that he succeeded right now: that everything he ever fought didn't come to an end. His old vow to help anyone in need couldn't be any more important then now. If he could fulfill this one last heroic deed, then all the things he ever did wouldn't been for nothing.

"Be careful, we don't know where he is." Jake cut in through his thoughts. "Any ideas?" he questioned. "Finn?" the yellow dog shook the hero's shoulder uncertainly.

"Just..." Finn said, shrugging the dog's palm off lightly as he continued to stare towards the middle of the fallen kingdom. "... follow me." there was an odd feeling running up the boy's entire body, but it was sort of fixating in front of him. It was as if he could _sense_ the Lich's presence somewhere near the center of the debris. It was rather sudden, he wondered why such a strange sensation would suddenly appear, with the situation at hand, the last thing he needed was more confusion. The human boy slowly took a step forward...

Within a single step; the blazing flames in the center of the kingdom burst outwards in a flurry of sparks; the colors of the fire quickly fading into a light, demonic green as the Lich's power took over. The flames arced outwards as the Lich crashed into the ground before them. Finn let out a shocked gasp as he noticed the blaze was spreading out around them into thin streams; rising up into the sky as it circled around the group of defenders.

Finn followed the swift flames with his gaze; quickly noticing that it hadn't surrounded them completely yet. The human boy lifted his finger towards the small gap separating the two streams of fire. "That way, run!" he directed above the roaring confusion, the candy citizens and the rest of them quick to follow his actions.

The crowd stumbled and tripped under the washing wave of disarray. Finn stumbled forward, barely moving a meter before noticing that they had no hope of being faster then the speeding flames, it had already covered so much ground.

"They're not gonna make it!" Finn yelled. Jake looked down towards the boy and nodded quickly, rushing after the disarrayed group of candy people.

Princess Bubblegum and Marceline were the first ones to react; the Vampire Queen began to move forward in an instant to steer the candy people away from the incoming fatal threat. Princess Bubblegum ran beside them towards the front, yelling words of warning to catch their attention. Jake had managed to group a large number of them away, separating his body into two binds that wrapped around the candy people and held them in place. Just as the remaining citizens neared the brief opening, the directed blaze closed it within an instant, quickly rising up into the sky as to prevent anyone from crossing it. The two citizens at the front of the crowd stumbled forward from the mass behind them and began to fall forward into the blaze. They let out a terrified scream before two arms caught them in mid-air, one belonging to the Vampire Queen and the other to Jake.

Finn sighed in relief as he looked back towards the monster; oddly motionless in his position. The undead necromancer's gaze seemed to be locked onto his in a sinister stare.

_'What was the point of all this?' _Finn wondered. With this amount of power, the Lich could have ended their lives with the click of his bony fingers. However, evident by the fires rising high up into the sky around them, he wasn't intent on letting them escape.

He wasn't intent on running away.

"Just curious, Lich." Marceline cut through the terrified silence of the people and the crackling embers of the demonic green fire. "Why haven't you ended this already?" the Vampire Queen inquired, reading the boy's mind. "I know what you're capable of." she said rather casually, sparking some curiosity in the boy. _'What did she mean by that?'_

The Lich didn't respond, his eyes still locked onto the human boy's in challenge. With each split second that passed, Finn could feel the Lich's presence intensify. It was as if it were shrouding his entire body with the buzzing sensation that he was experiencing. He shook it off quickly and looked to the Vampire Queen beside him.

"He's up to something." Finn said quietly, as to not stir the Lich to their plans. "What should we do?"

"Oh indeed, puny human boy." The Lich said before Marceline could respond, his demonic voice echoing out across the land. The Lich's gaze switched to the Vampire Queen. "You wanted to know my plans, yes?"

Marceline hissed savagely in reluctant agreement, her face changing into its demon form for a split second. Finn was taken aback by her reaction; she had gone from calm to angry so quickly. The Lich's green orbs looked back down towards the human boy.

"Did you really think, that after all the trouble you have caused me..." his glowing orbs flared up in a brief moment of anger "...that I would simply..." Princess Bubblegum readied her weapon cautiously as the undead began raising his arm. "... grant you the sanctity of death?"

"So you'll let him go?" Jake spoke up, all concern for himself dropping with the possibility of making his brother safe. Finn's face darted down towards his brother in confusion. Jake was aware he wouldn't get the answer he so desperately hoped for.

The Lich let out a cackle of amusement. "No..." his voice dragged on in a sinister tone, his eyes not leaving the human boy's for a second, his terrifying, dark silhouette outlining his body against the writhing blaze behind him. The undead began raising his arm into the air. "The power of the gem within you is fading, young hero. Soon enough, my power will overwhelm it, and when that happens..."

Finn's eyes widened in shock; that was the odd sensation he had been feeling, the Lich had been fighting for control over his mind.

"You will become my puppet, Finn the human!" the necromancer began concentrating his writhing aura into his raised arm; sparks flying in different directions as the aura around it raged. "You will be my right hand, the scourge that wrecks havoc upon this miserable land!" the monster's voice was deafening, the echoing, ringing sound buzzing inside every one of their ears. Princess Bubblegum was the first to succumb to the ear-piercing sound, dropping to her knees, letting the weapon fall to the ground as she covered her ears. The candy people soon started to do the same, dropping one by one; the sound proving too painful for them to endure. Marceline and Jake's advanced hearing only made it worse; making them drop like flies as they succumbed to the piercing voice of the Lich, shifting around on the dead soil in agony. It was if he was whispering death into their ears, the demonic sound echoing inside their heads over and over.

Standing strong amidst the falling group, Finn continued to stare at the Lich in shock and terror, the piercing of the necromancer's voice barely noticeable among the rage of his thoughts. "The hero, slaughtering the innocent! Cleansing this world of its weak life! I will have you kill all the people you ever cared about!"

He looked back towards all his friends, all of them struggling on the ground in agony. There was no way he would hurt any of them. The simple thought of it brought horror into his heart. Suddenly his body stiffened, his eyes staring directly forward into nothingness as images began forcing themselves into his mind.

**_~ ... ~_**

_The visions flashed into his mind. He immediately found himself swinging a sword diagonally upwards, blood and embers flying in different directions; his eyes following the tip of it carefully as it met the throat of his victim._

_"First, the princess!" __the demonic voice of the Lich echoed in his mind as the torn body of Princess Bubblegum thumped into the ground, he quickly shut the image out before he could see anymore, fighting for control over his own mind._

_"__No__!" the boy pleaded as another vision flashed into his mind._

_It was a blur; he was quickly advancing forward, a shade of yellow dragging itself backwards desperately across a rocky terrain as he jumped into the air, aiming his sword directly at its skull. Just as the tip was about to meet the forehead of his victim, his sight sharpened, the face of his brother taking shape before him._

_"The dog!" __the Lich cackled maniacally as Finn shut the vision out of his mind once more; only allowing another one to take over._

___"Stop!" he pleaded. _

_Beginning blurred as the last one; he found himself launching off the top of a cave, sword in hand, descending down towards his next kill. He fell down upon his victim, her raven hair flurrying in different directions as he gripped her neck savagely and slammed her into the ground. Just as he brought the sword down towards her chest, the pleading eyes of Marceline stared straight through his._

_"Finn... why...?"_

_"The Vampire!" __the Lich cackled, his demonic laughter mocking him._

_He couldn't take it anymore. "**Get out!**__" __he screamed into the darkness of his thoughts. With one final effort, he pushed the demonic presence out of his mind, the visions all flashing before his eyes rapidly; before they deteriorated into the void of his mind._

**_~ ... ~_**

Finn's felt his body go limp as he came back to reality; his knees digging into the muddy soil as they hit the ground. Quickly realizing he was descending, the boy moved his arms forward and pressed his palms against the ground, resting the weight of his body on them. He was panting for air, the horror of the visions he just witnessed storming through his mind. Was that how it would really turn out? Is this how his story was really doomed to end? Slaughtering everyone he cared about, everyone he promised to protect?

"It's a shame I don't have the patience." the Lich suddenly stated. "I would have relished in watching you slaughtering your own kin." the blazing aura surrounding the necromancer's arm began to pulse rapidly. "Your visage of agony as I do it myself will have to do."

The hero looked up towards the Lich. The boy wasn't intent of giving up; it was the last thing he planned on doing. But the mere thought of not just failing to save everyone... but breaking his promise to them with his very own hands... those type of dark thoughts had never clouded his young mind, he had never imagined himself being the evil one, the person who brought fear down upon people.

"This is it, fool." the Lich declared, his blazing, bony arm arcing out sparks of demonic fire as he brought it down in a rush of flames.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a pillar of flame appeared over the top of the group behind Finn, all of them still recovering from the ear-piercing speech. He turned around in shock, quickly realizing the Lich's plan.

"Look out!" Finn yelled. In a flash of movement, the boy had already launched himself from his position, running towards the group. Completely unaware of the danger looming right above them, Jake looked at the boy confused, opening his mouth to speak. He had no chance to say a word, however, as Finn had already positioned his foot directly on his forehead. With an exclamation of shock Jake fell backwards; flinging his arms behind him and launching the boy high into the air; directly in-between the pillar of flames and the group underneath.

**_- To be continued... -_**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Notes: **Oops, I lied. This isn't the final part ;)

Enjoy ^_^

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Adventure Time.

**~ Fiery Embrace ~**

**- Hero, Final Chapter: Part III. -**

He didn't know what he was trying to do, he didn't know what he could possibly accomplish by leaping in front of the danger, he had simply moved on instinct to save his friends. Without really thinking, the boy lifted his demon blood sword in front of him, using the same technique he had used to block attacks from any other source ever since he could hold a sword. Everyone gazed at the event with shocked expressions as they finally summoned the strength to lift themselves off the ground and look into the sky above them. The flames clashed with his sword in a flurry of green sparks, heat radiating off the conflict; the fire oddly enough being held in place by the hero's sword.

Falling fast towards the ground, Finn feared that if he broke from the blaze, it would descend down upon his friends. He was still questioning the fact that he was deflecting fire itself with a physical weapon, was this some kind power of his father's sword? He had never gotten any hint of the weapon having any special ability like this, he couldn't think of a reason why it would have such a power either. The center of the conflict was shrouded in fire as sparks flew in different directions; the flames silhouetting against the gray sky, somewhat resembling the look of a collapsing star. The center of the clash suddenly began pulsing rapidly, an eerie aura flowing out from the middle as it began to change color; slowly fading into a light shade of blue. His eyes shifted to his sword, more accurately, the blood left on it by his shoulder, which had suddenly begun to change blue as well.

"Huh?" the boy exclaimed out loud in confusion.

The Lich cackled in amusement as he began advancing forward; his bony, sharp fingers dragging across the ground, creating a trail of demonic fire across the dead soil as he advanced upon the candy princess at the front of the group. No one noticed his advance, all their attention focused on the sky above them.

"F-Finn?!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed in shock as she raised her gaze to look at the boy heading right towards them. "Watch out!" she yelled, noticing how fast he was falling towards the ground. Suddenly a massive wave of heat washed over the princess; she turned around to see the Lich flying towards her, his face a visage of madness as he outstretched his sharp, bony fingers; aiming directly at her throat. In a split second of desperation, she lunged towards her prototype weapon; gripping tightly on the hilt, raising it in front her and pulling back on the trigger.

"Too late." the Lich mocked as he appeared in front of the princess, his arm extending swiftly towards her, the sharp edges of his fingers glinting against the brightness of the flames as the gun pointed directly at his face.

"Look out!" Marceline yelled desperately as she noticed the monster's claw-like fingers nearing the candy princess' throat. She immediately dropped her axe bass, launching herself from her position towards them.

"PB!" Jake yelled, stretching his body to launch himself just as fast as the Vampire Queen into the air above them.

Time stood still as a swirling orb began to charge up at the nozzle of the princess' weapon, the Lich's hand literally an inch from her face. The Vampire Queen had an outstretched hand; the distance too far to close within time. Jake was descending down in-between them, his face a look of desperation as his arms stretched out towards them.

Following the odd tradition of his sword, the flames relentlessly descending into Finn's defenses began to glow a fluorescent light blue, he couldn't feel a single bit of heat radiating off the blaze. He spun around, releasing his grip on the hilt of his sword and letting himself fall towards the ground, knowing that if he held it any longer he would surely be overwhelmed by the amount of force expelling from the impact. The candy people could only stare up towards the event with looks of amazement.

Suddenly an explosion ensued from the center of the conflict, shrouding everything in a rush of intense winds as the fluorescent blue aura exploded outwards. Just as the Lich's bony claw was about to reach Princess Bubblegum's throat, he threw himself back; roaring in agony as he retreated towards the center of the ring of fire surrounding them.

Princess Bubblegum eyes widened at the necromancer in confusion; her bubblegum hair flurrying across her shoulders, dancing in the expelling wind. He had been weakened; she didn't hesitate. The candy princess released the now charged orb, bright sparks of light following it's trail as it burst into the Lich. Another explosion of light ensued; sending the undead monster dragging across the dead soil, roaring in irritation as he tumbled backwards into the ring of fire; out of sight.

Princess Bubblegum sighed in relief as Marceline and Jake arrived beside her.

"You alright princess?" Jake asked. She looked behind her, the pulsing blue light floating in the air catching her curiosity instantly.

"Y-yeah.." she replied, not really paying attention. It seemed to be a non-violent explosion, only really affecting the Lich out of everyone._ 'What had happened up there?'_

Finn slowly shifted his eyes open; his golden fringe shrouding his eyesight as it covered his face. He brushed his hair to the side with his hand; exclaiming in shock as the tip of a dark-red blade suddenly came descending down upon him. Reacting quickly; he moved his head to the side, his demon blood sword slicing through a single strand of his hair as it drove itself into the ground; an inch from his face.

Finn sighed in relief as he examined the driven blade, wondering how on Ooo he had ever acquired such sheer luck.

The boy shifted over onto his stomach, slowly raising his arms and pushing his palms against the muddy ground, lifting himself up off the dead soil. He raised his gaze slowly, wincing in pain as the adrenaline of his actions wore off. His blistered legs were now aching profusely, moving any part of them sent a joint pain up his lower body. He struggled to stand up, still dazed from the fall, wobbling side to side in his position; fighting to keep his footing.

The glowing light floating in the air above them seemed to be disappearing, the edges of it slowly receding to the center, the illuminating light fading into a small glimmer. Finn wondered what on Ooo had just happened, one second his demon-blood sword was deflecting fire itself, the next everything had begun to flash blue. The explosion seemed to have only effected the Lich, the necromancer had retreated when the flames exploded. By the looks of where she's standing, Princess Bubblegum must have shot him with her weapon. He continued to stare at the blue light, watching it fade into the atmosphere, leaving nothing but an ominous gray sky and a shade of radiation in it's place.

"Is this really all the strength you can muster?" the Lich's voice suddenly boomed in the air above them. Finn turned around and looked into the sky behind him, the necromancer had risen above them without a sound. He growled in annoyance, was he really this invincible? The size and intensity of the explosion Princess Bubblegum's weapon was causing seemed like it could tear apart a small building, but the monster still remained unscathed.

Princess Bubblegum and Jake arrived at Finn's side, both of them looking up with anger towards the Lich.

"Finn!" the voice of the Vampire Queen yelled out to him. "You alright?" she approached him, reaching out her hand and placing it on his shoulder.

"Y-yeah.." he continued to lock his gaze on the necromancer, waiting for the skeletal figure to show any signs of movement. Suddenly he felt a pain rising up in his throat. He threw his head forward and almost fell over before Marceline caught his arm, his windpipe burning profusely as let out more spluttering coughs.

"You needa take it easy Finn!" Jake scolded as he patted his back, trying his hardest to help the boy. "Always overdoing it man."

As he felt cold air move through his throat once more, the splutters ending, Finn took in a deep breath of relief, raising his gaze back towards the Lich. "There's no time to hesitate." Finn stated, his eyes remaining locked on the undead's. "It's not like we're getting out of this alive anyway, right?" the boy forced a smile, the sadness in his voice clear as he let out a light chuckle.

"You humans are so weak, so pathetic." the Lich's voice echoed throughout the destroyed kingdom. "Your kind so blindly led themselves down the path of extinction, so it.. confuses me, as to why, out of an entire race.." the necromancer's eyes shot through Finn's like daggers. "..they left a naive, weak infant to carry out their legacy." he spat.

The necromancer in the sky seemed to be curious in the boy for a moment, his eyes briefly scanning the hero's face. Finn's eyes remained locked on his, wondering what on Ooo he was up to.

"Do you know what I am, boy?" the Lich questioned, a sinister smile drawn across his skeletal face.

An edged, cocky smile fell onto the boy's features. "Am I supposed to care?" the boy croaked, his voice sounding weaker and weaker. "Why would I care where evil junk like you comes from?"

"Ironic." the necromancer stated flatly. "In the time of your ancestors, they fought over control of one another. They were so fueled by hatred and evil that it led them into the depths of their own destruction." his eyes shifted to Marceline's. She let out a muffled gasp at his stare, knowing his meaning as her eyes shifted to Finn's. "The vampire should know all about it." the undead received an angered hiss from the Vampire Queen.

Finn turned to Marceline; his eyes staring into hers, asking for confirmation. She simply looked to the ground and sighed, her face a look of pity for the young hero. "Sorry, Finn." she apologized. A confused look fell onto his features, before he could inquire over what the girl was apologizing about however, the Lich's voice boomed above him.

"It was this conflict, this war, that brought together all the malice, the hatred, the dark emotions that had brewed within humans for millennia. Your ancestors less then ideally created the one thing that would lead to their own downfall, the thing that would cause the extinction of the entire human race." the Lich raised his skeletal arms to the side above him, his blazing aura rushing up them as it burst outwards around him, his ghost-like orbs flaring up at the human boy. "Me." his demonic voice stated.

"But.." Marceline lowered her head in thought for a second, before looking back up to the Lich. "We thought you had existed before the humans..?"

"So what!?" Finn burst out, throwing his arm to the side and clenching his fist. "What are you trying to prove Lich? I don't care about any of that..." he paused for a moment. "... the humans before me may not have been good, but I... I am." the smallest hint of doubt fell onto the boy's voice, before his mind flashed to all the people he's helped, all the good deeds he had done. "I know I am." he said with confidence, reassuring not only the Lich, but himself. He looked to his left, then back to his right, gesturing to the people around him. "What matters is what happens now, I'm only here to protect my friends!"

"You're a fool!" the Lich shouted above him, clearly irritated by his answer. "Life is the _single_ flaw of this world! The curse of hatred and conflict that has been passed down throughout this world's history not only created me, but fueled the human parasites for their entire existence. The living are cursed to carry this burden of evil for as long as they exist, you are no exception!" the undead monster brought his bony claw down to his side, clenching his fist in anger. "You call yourself a hero, but blindly walk the path of your own dark fate! When I take you as my own, your curse will be as real as the blood staining the soil after I tear your beloved companions apart!"

With those words, the Lich descended down upon them in a rush of demonic green flames, the edges of his dark cloak silhouetting against the blinding blaze. His bony claw extended, his face screaming madness; the ancient necromancer was closing the distance between them in no time. The boy reacted quickly; gripping at the hilt of his sword with both hands and tearing it out of the ground with one pull. Dead, muddy soil flew into the air as the sword rose from the earth, following the tip of the blade as Finn brought it down in an arc. Just as his gaze went from his sword to the enemy in front of him, he was sent stumbling backwards by the bottom of a massive, bat-like foot.

_Marceline._

**_- To be continued -_**


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